From the Editor’s Desk: Winter/Spring 2026

I’m part of the generation that grew up without ubiquitous technology — and then watched it become unavoidable. We played outside for hours, made calls on landlines, and learned our way around a card catalog. Then the internet came along, and I spent an entire evening making a presentation to my parents about what it was, how we could access it, and why we absolutely needed it. I was 11.

A few decades later, the internet shapes nearly every aspect of our lives — from how we access information to how we communicate, and how we spend our time. My parents’ house now has internet access through their televisions, computer, iPad, phones, and even a doorbell. They’ve come a long way from my mid-’90s appeal.

I’ve been front row for this evolution, first excitedly logging into Facebook in its infancy and eventually watching tech leaders testify before Congress. While technology has proven overwhelmingly positive, much remains unresolved. The people who create and manage the apps that run our lives have access to an unprecedented amount of information. We’re living through another gold rush — only this time, the gold is our personal data. And most of us have no idea what the miners are doing with it. We also don’t know how bad actors will use that data — or the technology itself — for financial scams, election interference, and who knows what else.

About 30 years after the internet became publicly accessible, artificial intelligence entered the scene in a big way. Once again, society stands on the brink of revolutionary change. Much of it so far is extraordinary. Physicians use AI to read radiology reports and take notes. Older adults have more options than ever to age safely at home with AI-powered monitoring devices. Companies are developing AI-informed exoskeletons to help people with disabilities walk. 

Imagine that last example alone. My grandma, who has lost so much freedom to arthritis and osteoporosis at 96, worries about making it from room to room without falling. An exoskeleton could restore her mobility — offering safety and reassurance. All of these advancements hold tremendous promise to improve the human experience.

Still, the cost is impossible to ignore. A friend of mine texted me last week: “I’m trying to not have a panic attack right now because in the last couple weeks my job has completely changed because of AI. I feel like in 5 to 10 years my job might be obsolete.”

Another friend, that same week, told me his work requires him to run everything through an AI program first — emails, meeting agendas, strategy plans. Is he training his own replacement? 

I try to focus on technology’s positives, especially its ability to foster independence and accessibility, as we explore in this issue. But I struggle with feeling excited for my own aging future when my livelihood, and those of my friends, are on the line. How we deploy technology at scale is a choice. Those in charge must make decisions with everyone’s well-being in mind — not just the bottom line.

 

Katie Scarlett Brandt

Editor-in-Chief

katieb@chicagohealthonline.com

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Originally published in the Winter/Spring 2026 print issue.