Medical journals and scientific journals in general, have been our community’s way of reporting scientific findings for the past three-hundred years. During this time, they have been in continuous evolution, undergoing many changes, with the aim to better and more efficiently communicate research to other specialists and the wider public. Here, the hLife’s co-Editor-in-Chief Dr. Chen Dong speaks with Dr. Eric Rubin and Dr. Rui-Ping Xiao from The New England Journal of Medicine (NJEM) on the history and development of medical journals, a dialogue which took place immediately following the launch ceremony of hLife. They reflect on how reporting of medical discoveries has changed over time, the future medical challenges that society faces and how journals can address these issues, and they also give their views on how new technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI), will be incorporated into the medical research and publishing.