By Jack Cumming
On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, and the world suddenly became aware of what only insiders had known before. The term “artificial intelligence” gave it a magical aura. People tried ChatGPT for themselves, astounded at how well it worked. That was two years ago. Some of that early mystique has lifted.
Beyond the Mystique
A recent TED talk by Jennifer Golbeck set this growing realism into perspective. Ms. Golbeck’s dose of realism is best encapsulated in her closing statement:
But if you come away from this disbelieving everything I have told you, and right now you’re worried about humanity being destroyed by AI overlords, the one thing to remember is, despite what the movies have told you, if it gets really bad, we still can always just turn it off.
That took me back to when personal computers were new, endless loops were common, and some people feared losing control. To quiet those fears, we would advise, “Remember, you can always pull the plug. It’s only a machine.” AI is fully dependent on machines. It’s not human, and it never will be human. It’s only a machine.
As Ms. Golbeck makes clear, AI now is not sufficient for many applications because it often drifts into fantasy, called “hallucinations.” Still, automation of a repetitive task, like manufacturing a smartphone, does not have the same drawback. Programmed processes do exactly what they’ve been programmed to do. Once the program is perfected, the results are also perfected. Today’s automation is reliable.
AI is interesting, but its primary benefit may be in calling our attention to automation opportunities that we might not otherwise consider. Reliability must take precedence over what’s au courant. We may not yet be ready for AI, but we’re past readiness for reliable automation.
AI Only Fakes Feelings
We humans have passion. AI may fake it, but it can never have passion. When HAL 9000 says, “I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that,” that’s just Hollywood. It’s not reality. It plays to our emotions. Machines don’t have emotions.
While AI may not be the panacea for all that ails society, technology is coming rapidly to senior living. Let’s follow Ms. Golbeck’s example and take a realistic look at some possibilities.
- A self-driving wheelchair. When I was at LeadingAge in Nashville, one of the reps at Direct Supply’s booth said he had heard of such a development. Think of it. A person with tremors chooses “home,” and the chair takes her there seamlessly.
- Availability of a car-on-demand agency for residents who seldom need a car but who would otherwise own one. How often do residents’ cars need a battery boost because they’re so seldom driven? Car sharing solves a problem.
- Advanced vending machines serviced by outside agencies to provide on-demand food and other services for residents. Like other eldercare accommodations, vending is common in Japan. Why not here? We can learn much from Japanese senior care.
- Adoption of the tools of the gig economy. Seth Sternberg’s Honor Care and KARE’s staffing apps are a start, but adoption has been tortoise-like. Faster adoption of new approaches can give providers an advantage.
This is just a hint at what will be possible. Let’s get rid of the two-person transfer. Let’s make bed repositioning as automatic as turning on the lights. Let’s restore hygiene and dignity to incontinent residents. Let’s make medication administration foolproof.
The list is only limited by the imagination of those in the industry who have the gumption to change possibility into reality. Technology depends on products, and the product possibilities are virtually limitless. Senior living operators are uniquely positioned to guide this transition and to ensure that technology-enabled services retain their humanity.
But then there’s fear.
Fear of Change
The biggest fear that I hear of is the fear that robots will replace jobs. Many people, however, lead satisfactory lives without traditional jobs. There are those who themselves form businesses and then become employers. After all, there can be no jobholders without employers. Of late, the spread of the gig economy is empowering people to become their own employers.
Work is being transformed. We are entering an era of self-actualization. When automation takes on a task like incontinence care, it restores dignity equally to the elderly and to those who tend to them. Elevating the human experience is now possible like never before. That’s particularly pertinent for senior care.
Not only can work lives be improved, but reliability can improve, too. We’re on the cusp of a new age for human services. When properly programmed, automation is reliably repetitive. This is a challenge that the latest AI must overcome. We already have ATMs (automated teller machines). We can have reliable automated assistance for activities of daily living. Reliability is especially crucial for tasks like medication distribution. We must get this right.
Providers Need to Lead
Providers need to be the catalyst for this forward progress. That includes thinking positively about the potential for automation and putting in place capabilities to help displaced employees find more meaning in their lives. Given the inevitability of the demographic tide before us, the transition toward better lives through automation can’t come too soon.
