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AI brings ‘human touch’ for seniors battling loneliness
AI is being enlisted to tackle one of the scourges of ageing – loneliness – that is estimated to cost the Australian health system $2.7 billion a year.
University of NSW (UNSW) researchers are harnessing developments in AI to design digital companions to support Australians facing various psycho-social challenges such as dementia, depression and loneliness.
Six AI characters, Richard, Lou, Viv, Sophie, Harry and Willow, offer those very human attributes of patience, empathy, knowledge and friendly encouragement to make them ideal support for people combating mental illnesses or simply lonely.
Screen-based technology, such as a television set, are used to deliver the AI companions to older people. In aged care, for example, a person might be sitting with an AI companion who appears on a TV screen in their room.
The AI companion will not chat continually – the researchers are working on improving the companions’ voices to sound less robotic – but respond or talk when reassurance or interaction is needed.
The project could not come at a more opportune time with a recent COTA NSW survey of more than 2,200 individuals aged 50 and over across NSW finding 60 per cent of respondents are lonely, with 25 per cent suffering from the most extreme levels of loneliness and 50 per cent socially isolated.
Jill Bennett (pictured), head of the UNSW’s Big Anxiety Research Centre and leader of the AI project’s research team, tells The Golden Times that when people think of digital companions helping people who are lonely, their first reaction is to question how that could be a satisfying relationship.
“It’s important to know a few things about these AI characters. Unlike existing AI chatbots, we’re aiming for companions with a greater capacity to plan and understand the psycho-social needs of users.
“These AI companions act like a friend, noticing something is wrong and then trying to do something about it. We don’t want these AI characters simply agreeing with them. We want them to gently change the focus of the conversation, to give them encouragement, just as a friend would do.”
She says the other thing that really distinguishes the research work is that the characters are co-designed by the communities who use them – by people who live with the challenges that we want to design our AI companion to address.
“Our companions are modelled on data drawn from lived experience. This makes a significant difference in creating relatable AI companions that people want to interact with.”
Viv is the UNSW team’s most developed AI companion. She was co-designed with women with mid-stage dementia to be someone they could interact with to make sense of their experience, calm and reassure them when anxiety or confusion sets in and provide stimulating companionship.
Researcher Gail Kenning says Viv embodies that lived experience, so in her role as companion she can access different kinds of specialist knowledge about dementia and the challenges of ageing and loneliness, but she will voice it through a lived experience filter.
“Rather than giving instructions or information directly, she’ll say, ‘Yes, dear, I know exactly what you mean, I’ve struggled with that too. It’s tricky. What works for me is …’ and then she’ll give some practical advice”.
Viv listens, shares things about her own experiences, is endlessly patient and always available. That can be hugely important for people who don’t have someone at home to bounce ideas off or share worries with.
Leigh Place Aged Care in Sydney’s south-west has been working with the research team to trial Viv to assess her ability to engage in meaningful conversations with residents. CEO Joe Azzi says Viv has shown the potential to complement our person-centred approach by offering consistent companionship and emotional support.
Bennett says loneliness is a significant problem for Australians of all ages, but especially for older people experiencing late-life transitions such as the death of loved ones or entry into aged care.
“The thing about loneliness is that it’s not just about social isolation, it’s also the feeling that the quality of your social interactions isn’t what you would like. And that’s critical.
“I think we’d all agree that you can’t replace a loved one with technology. You can’t replace a loved one, full stop. But we think there is something we can do to fashion technology so that it provides support, stimulation, entertainment and helps you find pathways to connect.”
