AI in Care

So much of care work is administrative drudgery–the seemingly never ending and often largely invisible cycle of coordinating, navigating, scheduling, organizing etc. This cognitive and logistical load buries caregivers–unpaid and paid–in both acute transitional moments and on a chronic, daily basis. AI presents a profound possibility to lift the administrative burden off of caregivers’ shoulders, which means more time for meaningful work and the more joyful, relational parts of caregiving.

Many care companies are looking to AI to detect disruptions in typical user patterns, track health data via wearables, and offer new forms of interaction to cut down on isolation–all of which enables elders to maintain financial security and independence longer. The crucial concern here is privacy, of course, so we will all need to stay cognizant of where the line is between witness and surveillance.

Too often those from historically marginalized groups are barred from best-fit care because of structural racism, sexism, and ableism. AI has the power to change that in intimate and transformational ways. Imagine, for example, a woman of color finding a vetted therapist who shares her lived experience in a few keystrokes or a visually impaired Gen Z-er instantaneously accessing the latest app, whether or not the creators were educated in accessibility design. AI can raise the bar on best fit if we leverage it with expansive imagination.

There is no doubt that helping people wayfind through bureaucracies to find or afford the care they need or keeping an eye on their loved one from afar are critical services, especially in times of crisis. But we remain steadfast in our belief that human-to-human connection is foundational to a healthy, care-filled life at any age and stage. Those designing AI-forward technology need to be enabling and enhancing human interaction, not bypassing it.

We are cautiously optimistic about all the ways that AI is transforming caregivers’ lives and we believe that AI interventions around care need to be designed alongside caregivers–professional and family, alike–and with independent oversight from experts who know how to think deliberately, ethically, and objectively (i.e. without a profit motive) about how our lives will be impacted. AI is changing economic conditions rapidly. Many are being freed up from unpaid labor, but others are losing their livelihoods. There are myriad perils to our various social contracts, online and financial safety, and so much more. We would love to see the next administration take this seriously and create a committee with real moral imagination around where we need to speed up and where we need to slow down. Our caring future depends on it.