Robots & AI are the Easy Button for Caregiving

I’ve been seeing more posts about how AI and Robots can help in caregiving. In many cases, there is a positive spin on it: they will solve the current caregiving crisis or, at the very least, minimize the challenges.

Now, full disclosure, I am a technologist at heart. I have spent 30+ years in software product development, and I’m not leery of technology or change.

But that said, AI and robots scare the crap out of me in general. Maybe because I watched Terminator too many times. Maybe because I know the problems (bugs, design flaws) humans can create in writing software. And maybe because I don’t think we’re effectively regulating these industries now.

Here are a few examples…

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andre-psaradelis_great-to-see-ai-companion-technology-becoming-activity-7463323186491887616-SSvO

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/how-ai-can-help-caregivers/

https://www.careyaya.org/resources/blog/ai-for-caregivers

My view is that AI and Robots are not the answer in caregiving. At least not the way many are thinking about the issue. Most are looking for them to replace human caregiving activity. I don’t see it that way.

Instead, I see robots and AI as a means of augmenting human caregiving. Considering them as tools that—

1. Improve the quality of the care or the quality of life for your care partner

2. Improve the quality of the caregiver experience

3. Save time on mundane tasks that expand time for important work

I think folks are looking for an Easy Button to throw at the broken healthcare and elderly-care systems in our country. Trying to avoid that hard human work depended on to improve things.

I’ll defer any more comments to the article below from Karen Smiley. Karen captures my position much more clearly than I have so I suggest you read it.

And read my lips…

There are NO Easy Buttons!

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