Topic for discussion 15 Feb (Mon)

[QQQQQQ]

AI Companion Robot Helps Seniors Fight Loneliness

Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in a hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.

The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to help with the isolation experienced by many older Americans. "It's entertaining. You can actually talk to her," said Loaiza, 81 of her ElliQ. "She'll make comments like, 'I would go outside if I had hands, but I can't hold an umbrella.'"

The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers each user's interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats.

ElliQ tells jokes and plays music. On a video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. It leads exercises, asks about the owner's health and gives reminders to take medications. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency.

Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner's device. Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea of ElliQ is for a robot that provides companionship by adapting to each senior's personality and interests.

The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times daily, even six months after receiving it, and more than 90% report lower levels of loneliness, he said. The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in the US, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee. Skuler said the goal is to have more than 100,000 distributed within five years.

Disscussion Questions

What are your thoughts on ElliQ?
Do you know many older people who live alone?
Do you think companion robots will be commonplace in the near future?
What do you imagine AI chatbots will be like 10 years from now?
If you had a personal AI robot, what jobs or tasks would you get it to do?

What do you look forward to the most about getting older?
What hobbies would you like to take up or spend more time on once you retire?
Who are the most socially active elderly people you know?
Is social isolation a major problem among elderly people in your country?
Do you imagine loneliness is a major problem where you live?

https://engoo.com/app/daily-news/article/ai-companion-robot-helps-seniors-fight-loneliness/P5j3RqSvEe63ooc8yb-t3A