(Aging Untold) — One in three adults reports feeling loneliness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tech companies are rolling out AI chatbots designed to serve as companions.
These programs are available around the clock, can hold conversations and remember personal details.
The Aging Untold experts say the technology serves a dual purpose and comes with important limitations.
“They should never, ever, ever replace human companionship,” Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist, said. “They can enhance it and they can add to it.”
Cradduck explained that AI companions can handle helpful tasks like check-ins and reminders while family members are at work, allowing caregivers to balance their responsibilities. But she emphasized the technology should never substitute for picking up the phone to call mom, dad or grandparents.
“You still need human interaction,” Cradduck said.
Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, noted another concern with overreliance on AI companions.
“Sometimes that information is not always correct,” Rogers said. “But isolation is a big deal in terms of depression and the toll that it takes on the body as well. So you have to balance it.”
Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, said she became a supporter of the technology after watching a clip of an older woman talking to a chatbot.
“She was so happy and so fulfilled and so engaged, and she really lived in a rural community and didn’t have any access to anybody,” O’Rourke said. “I thought, well, all or nothing, like if you don’t have anybody at least.”
Studies show the technology does improve loneliness, O’Rourke said.
Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said some AI companions can ask questions about an older adult’s history and record the answers for family members.
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