I live in San Francisco, so it’s hard to avoid AI. Even with our own personal issues with it, we already can’t imagine the world without it. And while it can feel tempting to fight it, the reality is that if we don’t get on board, we will be left behind.
But being pro-human does not mean being anti-AI. At Bartlett Brands, many of our clients sit at the intersection of wellness and health tech and are making human-centered services more accessible, personal and scalable using AI.
Here are three human-first winners:
- Beyond-The-Clinic Care Models
In a fragmented healthcare system, too many patients are left to navigate complex conditions on their own, moving between providers, portals, appointments, apps and unanswered questions. For high-risk populations, the gaps between visits are where the greatest risks emerge.
The model: Continuous connection to a trained human who supports adherence, monitoring and escalation of red flags through enhanced care management.
Why humans win: Community-based care is brought in when it matters most instead of waiting for the next appointment or a preventable trip to the ER.
Brand example: Malama is creating the infrastructure for community-embedded maternal care, connecting high-risk mothers with trained care managers who support the medical, social and emotional needs of patients in the critical space between visits.
This model is especially relevant to complex and chronic health conditions in high-risk populations, including maternal health, gestational diabetes and hypertension. It also benefits the system as a whole because the highest-risk patients often drive the highest-cost claims. By proactively putting humans back into the healthcare equation, these models can improve outcomes and create a more connected standard of care.
- High-Touch Health Platforms
Wellness is daily, data-driven and deeply personal. Consumers have more information than ever, but very little time with providers, practitioners and care experts to make sense of it.
The model: Platforms that combine diagnostics, wearables, beauty/wellness plans and human coaching.
Why humans win: AI-driven data connects the dots and flags what needs attention, so the practitioner shows up informed and prepared.
Brand example: Xella Health is helping women become better advocates for their own health by connecting biological data, AI-driven insights and clinician oversight so time with a doctor is more informed, productive and actionable. This model fits women’s health, longevity, functional medicine, metabolic health, hormonal health and postpartum care.
- Mental Load Relief
Year after year, we conduct research with women and continue to see the same reality: she is not exactly thriving. She is tired, overextended and carrying an impossible standard of what it means to manage work, family, health, home and everyone else’s needs. Much of modern parenting is still built on invisible labor. AI has the potential to make that labor visible, manageable and better supported.
The model: AI assistants help organize, anticipate and reduce the invisible labor of family life, while humans provide the community support and advocacy parents need.
Why humans win: When AI takes on more of the remembering, sorting and scheduling, parents get more time back for the parts that matter most.
Brand example: Ava removes the mental load of modern parenting through expert guidance, community advocacy and brand partnerships, freeing families to spend less time managing life and more time enjoying it. This fits parenting, mental health, household equity, family wellness, women’s economic opportunity and any brand that supports infrastructure and efficiency of daily life.
Recap: The brands that win will be the ones that use AI to make more room for humanity, not to make health and wellness faker, cheaper or more transactional.
