It was (and still is) considered that the new technologies, and AI especially, is designed and made for younger generations and that the TV and radio are enough for people of a certain age, including seniors. However, this is not something that we should listen to or even consider as being true, and we have found a series of reasons why the seniors could become ‘friends’ in the near future and how the people, in this case the elderly people, could get to know more and learn about AI.
What is AI?
It is safe to say, from the beginning, that AI, like other types of technological advancement can be seen with caution, since we are not always fully prepared with the necessary skills to understand it, to comprehend the Tech Trends and the rapid development of it. This is a way of creating a ‘disclaimer’ in this article, so that elderly people would feel better included in the topic of AI, no matter their views on it. Let us briefly see what the AI is, anyway: Artificial Intelligence is the ability of a computer system to deal with ambiguity, by making predictions using previously gathered data, and learning from errors in those predictions in order to generate newer, more accurate predictions about how to behave in the future.(Orlov, 2023).
Nonetheless, the benefits of creating a sort of a relationship between one certain group of people, seniors, in this case, and the AI, will have for sure several benefits, and we will list some of them.
AI as medical care provider
This would be one of the biggest steps in order to get to understand the AI without being ‘forced’ to like it or to understand the software behind it, and this is by seeing the medical upgrades that could be possible using AI. In our research we found that there are several medical parts that could benefit in the near future from this, starting from the point in which the AI could become a personalized assistant for everyone in need, and it could provide the people with periodical medical advices, by tracking the signs, detect the issues, contact the family/friends if needed, become a ‘talking calendar’ for taking pills. Also, AI could come in pocket-friendly devices that would do on spot investigations, such as for the heart, for diabetes or other types of medical situations. Moreover, AI could also help in cases of memory loss, cognitive decline or dementia, by supporting its functions from AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) in order to stimulate the mental and cognitive activity and improve it. (in a research done on dementia-stricken seniors, it was seen that positive reactions appeared for the ones who got a companion animal robot, since it can stimulate the brains of older people with dementia). In all cases, this scenario is already starting to slowly happen, and it should create a feeling of safety and content.
AI as social support guide
Another reason for our rhetorical question from the beginning is related to socialization and community involvement of elderly people. AI could, in this field, become ‘social robots’ that would reduce loneliness (as seen as one of the biggest threats to elderly people’s health), by providing chatbots, or other types of ‘conversation carriers’ for them. Moreover, through AI, the elderly people could have meetings or gatherings with other peers, without leaving their homes, using only VR, for instance (we can already do this using online platforms, but it can become more ‘authentic’ in the near future). It could also provide, through robots driven by AI, with emotional and psychological support that is available 24/7 so that would replace the nursing persons around someone in need.
AI as a mobility companion
Moreover, AI robots and technological features could provide physical support for people in need, such as mobility support. In this case, the AI could be programmed and customized for everyone. Also, it could create mobility means of transportation for people with mobility issues, either inside the house, or outside, making a journey more efficient, safe and trustable.
Some ethical questions and AI
There are, of course, several ethical questions that appear, such as the fact that through AI, the personal data information for each person could be (possibly) available somewhere on the internet, but also concerns about losing touch with human connection, if the AI robots could be so indispensable for the future. Until that point, by working on the improvement of AI, we develop ourselves as well.
Bibliography
- Orlov, M. Laurie. 2023. The Future of AI and Older Adults. Aging and Health Technology Watch
https://www.ageinplacetech.com/page/future-ai-and-older-adults-2023 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics in Elderly Healthcare: Enabling Independence and Quality of Life
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10474924/ - How AI Technology Can Improve the Lives of the Elderly
https://www.seniorhelpers.ca/blog/how-ai-technology-can-improve-the-lives-of-the-elderly - Ensuring artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for health benefit older people. 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-02-2022-ensuring-artificial-intelligence-(ai)-technologies-for-health-benefit-older-people