How Will Artificial Intelligence Help the Aging?
“One of the key premises behind ElliQ is that technology is complicated and perhaps too complex for aging people to use,” Béhar says. “But artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to engage with a person in a much simpler way. It can remind a person to take their meds, or connect with their family, or just tell them, ‘Hey, why not go outside. It’s nice out.’
“And we felt that EllliQ should be a table object, rather than a creepy robot that follows you around,” he adds. “By keeping it in one room, a person can interact with it like they would a familiar appliance in a familiar context.”
It’s also critical that ElliQ keeps learning. As Skuler explains it, one of the first steps in establishing a relationship with this particular robot is to set some goals, such as how many times a week a person wants to go out for a walk or be reminded to see friends. Then, it’s up to ElliQ to determine the most effective way to do its job. In other words, it will learn that one person responds better to “It’s nice out, why don’t you go for a walk,” while another needs to be prodded more aggressively with “You’ve been on the couch watching TV for four hours. Time to get up and take a walk.”
Behar sees the device more as a coach than a companion. He acknowledged the risk of making machines too engaging, and thereby encouraging more social isolation, not less.
“We don’t want to create the kind of emotional dependency that social media sometimes does,” he says.
He’s encouraged by the recent big leaps in voice recognition by machines because it allows older people to use technology without having to mess with smartphones or typing on small keyboards.
...we do not want the technology to drive our human values. We want our human values to drive our technology.”
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