February 2026

What’s on your list of health care staples? Vitamin C, tissues, cough drops, an apple a day? How about AI?

AI has become an increasingly important part of health care, from supporting the people who deliver it to strengthening the systems they rely on.

This month, we look at how AI is helping to improve care in very different settings, from neighborhood pharmacies in Kenya to a large hospital in Japan. Through a new Microsoft video series, we’ll also explore how AI can support – rather than replace – human care.

It’s a fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss, so read on for your monthly dose of tech inspiration – no prescription required! 

In Kenya, independent pharmacies are using an AI-powered app to tackle a critical challenge: knowing what’s on the shelves, what’s about to expire and what patients need next.

Powered by Microsoft Copilot, the Zendawa app – a word that combines “zen” plus “dawa,” the Swahili word for medicine – digitizes inventory and reduces losses from expired medicines. It helps pharmacists forecast demand, giving them more time to prepare for customer flows and use limited shelf space efficiently.

In a system where pharmacists provide crucial primary care in their communities, those efficiencies can add up to meaningful, community-scale gains. Zendawa is now being used by 800-plus pharmacies in Kenya.

Halfway around the world, a devastating ransomware attack at Osaka General Medical Center in 2022 knocked out access to electrical medical records, forcing clinicians to revert to paper. The hospital had to suspend outpatient treatment, scheduled operations and emergency admissions.

Instead of simply restoring what was lost, Osaka General rebuilt with stronger identity protections, a zero-trust security approach and cloud-based collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint – resulting in safer systems and smoother workflows. Now that’s what we’d call a smart diagnosis!

But secure systems and reliable infrastructure are only part of the story.

The first episode of Microsoft’s new On Second Thought video series shifts the focus to frontline care, exploring how AI can help clinicians better serve patients. In a conversation with futurist Sinead Bovell, Jonathan Carlson of Microsoft Research Health Futures says AI’s immediate value in health care lies in synthesizing vast amounts of data to support faster, more precise decisions.

That can also be beneficial in scaling resources to health programs with smaller footprints. While no physician can keep up with every specialty or guideline, AI agents can’t replace human care, Carlson says.

“We as humans need human interaction, need human touch, need human judgment,” he says. “Framing the question of will it be an AI or a doctor is just a false dichotomy. It will obviously be both.”

Hop in – AI’s driving

Wayve, headquartered in London, is shaking up self-driving by teaching cars to learn like humans do, using deep learning instead of a rules-based, coded approach. 

Wayve’s AI Driver, hosted in Microsoft Azure, learns from real-world data and adapts to different vehicles and cities with minimal fine-tuning. In a London test drive, it cooly navigated heavy traffic and dodged oblivious pedestrians without human intervention.

Wayve-equipped vehicles are now operating in cities in the U.K., the United States, Germany and Japan. Uber is planning a trial of Wayve-powered passenger service in London this year, and Nissan will soon start incorporating Wayve technology in its cars.

Vroom!

Using data to foster connections

Ben Sand tried every grassroots approach he could think of to recruit foster parents in Oregon, from coffee meetings to yard signs, with little success.

That changed when his nonprofit organization, The Contingent, collaborated with Microsoft to build a solution that uses data, analytics and targeted digital marketing to recruit the right foster families for each community’s needs.

The approach has now mobilized thousands of prospective foster families and volunteers across three states – including Garrett and Mindy Smith, who have five biological children and became foster parents to two girls after connecting with Sand’s organization.

Technology, Sand says, has enabled the organization to “amplify community empathy at scale.”

Less friction, more focus

Microsoft Copilot 365 is helping professionals with neurodivergent traits turn struggle into success.

Features such as Teams meeting recaps, Immersive Reader and Focus mode can reduce cognitive overload, helping employees tap into their strengths without burning out. Copilot helps employees manage emails, focus in meetings, and draft documents and presentations – especially useful for people with dyslexia.

Neurodivergent professionals often find the most creative ways to use AI tools, says Hiren Shukla, founder of EY’s global neurodiversity program.

“It’s not just AI helping neurodivergence,” Shukla says. “It’s the power of neurodivergence maximizing the use of Copilot.”

As this month’s stories show, when technology is designed to support people, it can help us take better care of ourselves and one another.

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