An AI tech agent on our behalf – predicted long ago. Consider the definition: “An AI agent is a system that perceives its environment, makes decisions, and takes actions to achieve specific goals, often autonomously.” At first look, that seems quite scary and is reminiscent of two quite predictive fictions: HAL 9000 in 2001 (“Sorry, Dave, I can’t do that”) or the robot in the Robot and Frank (2012) that takes care of every need of a lonely man with dementia, then assists him in committing crimes.
But imagine AI agents that perceive their environment and are actually helpful. This is possible today and has been applied in multiple business applications – doing inventory and demand management, handling customer service inquiries, fulfilling orders and many other business tasks. But an agent acting on behalf of an older adult could be just as useful, supplementing in-home care work with observations about the environment, informed by knowledge of the care recipient’s health status and mobility. This awareness can be followed by prediction as to what might be needed – supplies, transportation, medication refills, or physical therapy suggestions.
Imagine an AI agent trained in detail about a specific home care business. This agent would know about the care recipient, the available workers for specific shifts, the transportation needs to get to appointments and full details about supplies. The agent would send updates about care status to the manager and as requested to family members. Some companies already see the opportunity and have published about the utility for home care. Many firms are marketing AI agents’ role in healthcare, particularly in the context of operational tasks and paperwork automation.
It is a short leap to imagine the capabilities of AI agents supporting lonely older adults. It is especially intriguing to consider future designs for individuals like Frank with dementia – where there is no caregiver present for extended periods of time. Conversation and suggestions are more than possible with today’s technology – and are being promoted for use in assisted living and memory care and specifically for future use in memory care. Can use in home care be next?
