Technology is changing quickly. Harnessing the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise social care is no longer just a chat on the sidelines. We recently heard from Dr. Caroline Green, director of research at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. She was a featured speaker at the AI in Social Care Summit convened this past March. The potential of AI The summit underscored the important ways that AI can help support the growing population of older adults in the UK. Further, today’s population of 12 million seniors is anticipated to reach 13.7 million by 2032.
As Dr. Green explained, AI technology should be thought of like a “baby monitor.” He highlighted its potential to provide useful assistance but warned against the tendency to see it as a panacea. She stated, “AI can only be part of the solution but not the whole solution.” This enabling way of seeing fair AI balances what AI can do with the irreplaceable value of genuine human interaction and care.
Aislinn Mullee, deputy manager at a care home practicing AI technology articulated the way Dr. Green had. She emphasized the difficulty of identifying pain in residents who cannot communicate. To address this concern, her care home has introduced Painchek, a smartphone app that tracks facial cues indicating pain or distress. This new method gives real-time updates on residents’ level of pain, which empowers caregivers with important insights that can improve care.
Experts are quick to praise the wide-ranging benefits of implementing AI in social care. They warn that it should not be considered a substitute for human caregivers. Thomas Tredinnick, CEO of AllyCares, a company that uses sensors to monitor care home residents overnight, reported an 81% decrease in incidents since implementing their technology. Success of this nature demonstrates the opportunity presented by AI to enhance both safety and quality of care.
Dr. Green cautions that reliance on AI should be treated with care. She stated, “At the moment there’s no official government policy on guidance on the use of AI in social care.” This lack of oversight leaves a huge question mark about the ethics behind the use of AI technology in caregiving.
Dr. Green further highlighted the danger of not only development of AI, but continuing to invest in human professionals who fully understand its implications. “I think here we really need to make sure that we don’t just invest in AI to take over care-giving but that we keep on investing in people,” she said. This combined investment is important to ensure that we have the technological support, but the essential human touch.
We are currently living through the challenges of an ageing society. Innovative AI-driven solutions can be game-changing in reimagining social care and social value. Dr. Marco Pontin suggested that creating a digital twin of patients could enhance occupational therapy by allowing professionals to monitor multiple patients more effectively. Taking this approach would lighten the load on caregivers while still making sure that residents receive the high-quality care and support they desire.
As we celebrate and applaud these advancements, we must remain vigilant about the dangers that come with over-reliance on AI. Aislinn Mullee observed, “There is a potential risk that AI is going to be seen as a panacea to some of those very big problems that we are seeing in social care provision.” The looming challenge of insufficient staffing and increasing demands from an ageing population necessitates a thoughtful integration of technology into care practices.
Lee-Ann Fenge, passionate about ethical and inclusive AI usage. She urges us to view AI as an augment to—and not a replacement for—patient care practices. She stated, “It needs to be seen as a tool that enhances the work that is already happening.” This perspective, while admittedly aesthetic, resonates with the broader desire to use technology and innovation to improve quality of care without losing the human touch.