Artificial intelligence (AI) seeps into every aspect of life. It is used to create images and videos, we can chat with it, it has even revolutionized medicine by helping in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of multiple diseases, including cancer. For some time now, its potential to help care for older people and alleviate their loneliness has also been investigated. There are systems that are responsible for reminding them about taking medication, for example, with a phone call, but you can go further. The next step is accompanying robots, which incorporate technology to help the elderly in their daily lives. They can help them do exercises (physical and cognitive), detect falls, and even bring objects closer to them.
Unwanted loneliness affects all areas of health. It increases premature deaths by at least 30% and poses a greater risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, strokes, dementia and mental health problems such as depression, explains Guillermo Lahera, professor of Psychiatry at the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH). ). When social relationships are lacking, “a loop of self-abandonment, unhealthy lifestyle habits and behaviors that accentuate the situation of isolation” begins, explains Lahera, who is also head of the section of the Príncipe de Asturias University Hospital in the same city.
Last July, the magazine Science Robotics published a report by researchers from Auckland, Duke and Cornell Universities (United States) in which they reflected on the usefulness of AI escort robots and the risks they may entail. “The social connection with robots is becoming increasingly important as technology advances,” the authors argue. To justify it, they rely on other research that affirms its ability to promote “engagement, interaction and well-being, as well as a reduction in stress and loneliness.”
Murali Doraiswamy, lead author of this work, sees companion robots with built-in AI as a solution for isolated people who have no other options, “until society prioritizes social connection and elder care.” Isabel Rodríguez, coordinator of the Gerotechnology Group of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SEGG), believes that, precisely, this is an aspect that must be taken care of, so as not to allow it to replace human contact. “It may be a patch, but if we do not treat the real problem that causes this loneliness, it will be complicated,” adds the geriatrician at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid, who did not participate in that study.
Rodríguez defends that social or interpersonal relationships “are not based on physical contact or company per se”, but other factors come into play such as empathy, affection or the exchange of feelings. Things that “at least today, a robot is not going to give you,” he says. For Lahera, it is “the immortality of robots” that means that they cannot replace human contacts.
Antonio López, professor of Social Work at the National University of Distance Education (UNED), is more optimistic and believes that any technology that allows greater communication “will help reduce unwanted loneliness.” Although he acknowledges that some training will be necessary for users to “be able to interact properly within a technological context.”
Loneliness and dependence
Rodríguez, from SEGG, believes that it is necessary to take into account the differences between each user. The first thing to assess is the cognitive state and the degree of independence. It is also important where they live, an older adult who lives in his house is not the same as another who does so in a residence. In general, in the latter case they tend to have a greater degree of dependency and are more attended to, so the functions required of these devices in one case and the other would be different, explains the expert. It is also necessary to take into account where they live, since an older person who lives in the city will not have access to the same services as in a rural environment.
Although the report talks about the ability of AI bots to have conversations with users, Doraiswamy, the lead author, acknowledges that they still can’t do it in a real, “person-to-person” way. López defends that the technology that is incorporated must respond to the demands and concerns and be realistic with the possibilities of production.
Both the author of the report and the UNED professor agree when considering a possibility worthy of science fiction. There may be people who end up becoming emotionally attached to robots: “We can project our emotions onto an object, it is quite another thing for the machine to respond.” In the study they remember that there are already devices that can be configured to speak with the voice of a loved one who has died.
pilot projects
Although this type of technology is still under development and is far from widely used, in Spain there are already some projects under way in nursing homes. They range from robotic pets, like PLEO, the dinosaur from the El Redós Foundation in Sant Pere de Ribes (Barcelona) to help dementia patients, to robots like Pepper, at the Prytanis residence in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), which helps older people perform physical therapy and cognitive exercises.
Carlos Vivas, business director of the PAL Robotics company, believes that robotics will become “a very useful tool to assist staff and provide support to patients.” The company has several projects supported by the European Union and in them they work with robots such as ARI and TIAGo. Their goals are to promote healthy and independent living, to be able to interact effectively with more than one person at a time, and even, in the case of TIAGo, to provide medical care: recognizing users, understanding vocal instructions, and also the emotional states to achieve person-centered human interactions. “The premise is that the person maintains control and has support that promotes their autonomy,” says Vivas.
The biggest question is whether we can make a model of artificial intelligence, of robotics, of services, based on human rights
Antonio López, UNED
The robots offered by the company are in continuous development to offer the greatest number of functionalities possible. For example, games on their touch screen to work on cognition, programs to promote exercise if they are inactive for a long time, connecting them with their loved ones through a video call or reminding them of pending appointments. And, of course, connect directly with the primary caregiver if the senior needs help, such as in a fall. They also hope that the devices that have the necessary tools will be able to carry objects or help the elderly person they care for to pick up something that has been dropped.
An issue that cannot be lost sight of, the experts agree, are the ethical implications that must be taken into account when developing these robots. The authors of the report are concerned about the treatment of the information, the guarantee of privacy and who would be responsible in the event of an accident. The business director of PAL Robotics says that from his company they try to avoid the collection and use of personal data to develop their projects and, if they do, they anonymize that information.
For López, from UNED, technology changes the nature of things and our reality. Therefore, “the biggest question is whether we can create a model of artificial intelligence, robotics, and services, based on human rights,” he concludes.
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