More than 8,000 delegates gathered at Digital Health Festival 2026 in Melbourne, but one message rose above the noise: healthcare innovation is moving faster than the systems designed to regulate it.
Speaking with Veri Health following the event, Digital Health Festival co-founder Terry Cornick reflected on the themes that dominated discussions across the festival, including artificial intelligence, regulation and equitable access to care.
Cornick said AI and regulation featured in almost every conversation throughout the event.
AI and regulation are coming up in almost every conversation. We have the talent. We have the technology. The challenge is that the industry is moving faster than government’s ability to regulate it.
His observations reflect a broader challenge facing health technology companies, clinicians and policymakers. While artificial intelligence, digital therapeutics, connected care platforms and predictive analytics are creating new opportunities to improve patient outcomes and efficiency, governance frameworks are still evolving to address questions around safety, ethics and accountability.
Cornick believes this creates an environment where opportunity and uncertainty exist side by side.
When regulation lags behind innovation, it creates risk and fear. Sometimes that can result in efforts to pull things back rather than helping innovation move forward responsibly.
Where the real conversations happen
While Digital Health Festival is known for its keynote presentations and packed agenda, Cornick believes some of the most valuable discussions happen away from the stages.
For him, the defining feature of the event is not a particular speaker or product announcement, but the energy generated when thousands of healthcare professionals, founders, investors, clinicians and innovators come together.
The most significant highlight is the connection and energy between people. The incredible conversations and ideas aren’t always happening on stage. They’re happening in coffee queues, between sessions and at networking events.
He describes the festival as a place where unscripted conversations often lead to unexpected insights and collaborations.
There’s proper conversation happening here. Sometimes that includes healthy controversy, and that’s important.
Equity becomes the next frontier
While artificial intelligence dominated many conversations, Cornick believes the sector’s long-term success will depend on a different question: who benefits from innovation?
As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, questions are being raised about who has access to new services and whether innovation is reaching all Australians equally.
A big theme right now is whether the services we’re building are available to everyone.
The discussion comes as governments, providers and technology companies seek to improve healthcare access across regional, rural and underserved communities. While digital health has the potential to improve accessibility, industry leaders acknowledge a risk that innovation could unintentionally widen existing gaps if equity is not considered from the outset.
A festival for the entire healthcare ecosystem
Originally known for attracting startups and emerging health technology companies, Digital Health Festival has evolved into a much broader industry gathering.
Cornick said the event now attracts organisations from across the healthcare ecosystem, including global technology companies, healthcare providers, insurers, fitness businesses, sports technology organisations and policymakers.
This isn’t just for startups or scale-ups anymore. It’s for everyone involved in the future of healthcare.
Despite attracting more than 8,000 attendees this year, Cornick believes there is still considerable room for growth.
Eight thousand people sounds like a lot. But when you think about the size of the healthcare workforce, there are hundreds of thousands more people who could benefit from being part of these conversations.
Shaping healthcare’s next chapter
Healthcare technology is evolving rapidly, bringing increasingly complex questions around implementation, governance and accessibility.
While solutions are still emerging, Cornick believes the sector’s ability to collaborate across technology, policy and clinical care will determine how successfully innovation translates into better health outcomes.
“The technology may be advancing rapidly. The conversations surrounding regulation, trust, equity and adoption are only just beginning.”
For Cornick, the future of healthcare innovation may depend less on the technology itself and more on how industry, government and clinicians choose to navigate the challenges that come with it.
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