Study Highlights Pros and Cons of AI-Based Apps Used to Benefit Older Adults

A study cited the realistic pluses and minuses of applications and other technologies using artificial intelligence (AI) to benefit older adults, including those facing dementia and cognitive decline, reports News-Medical . The research addresses ethical issues raised about the use of AI in "carebots." "Specifically, there is a concern that patients — particularly patients with dementia — are being deceived into thinking that a carebot is a person," said North Carolina State University's (NC State) Veljko Dubljevi. "In effect, the concern is that patients are being tricked into believing they're engaging with a person, rather than a device. A broader concern is that carebots will displace human workers in communities that care for adults with dementia." NC State's Allen Coin said carebots cannot be allowed to replace human caregivers, but added that "if a carebot allows a patient to continue living at home for months or years, that could help patients retain a higher quality of life." Coin also noted that the number of older adults in need of care will overtake the number of trained caregivers. "Carebots will likely be a way of helping to address that gap, and to help take on some of the tasks that currently fall on family or other unpaid caregivers," he suggested.