Researchers’ goals shape the questions they raise, collaborators they choose, methods they use, and outcomes of their work. This article offers a fresh vision of artificial intelligence (AI) research by suggesting a simplification to two goals: 1) emulation to understand human abilities to build systems that perform tasks as well as or better than humans and 2) application of AI methods to build widely used products and services. Researchers and developers for each goal can fruitfully work along their desired paths, but this article is intended to limit the problems that arise when assumptions from one goal are used to drive work on the other goal. For example, autonomous humanoid robots are prominent with emulation researchers, but application developers avoid them, in favor of tool-like appliances or teleoperated devices for widely used commercial products and services. This article covers four such mismatches in goals that affect AI-guided application development: 1) intelligent agent or powerful tool; 2) simulated teammate or teleoperated device; 3) autonomous system or supervisory control; and 4) humanoid robot or mechanoid appliance. This article clarifies these mismatches to facilitate the discovery of workable compromise designs that will accelerate human-centered AI applications research. A greater emphasis on human-centered AI could reduce AI’s existential threats and increase benefits for users and society, such as in business, education, healthcare, environmental preservation, and community safety.

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Design Lessons From AI’s Two Grand Goals: Human Emulation and Useful Applications

This pilot study aimed to compare the effect of companion robots (PARO) to participation in an interactive reading group on emotions in people living with moderate to severe dementia in a residential care setting. A randomized crossover design, with PARO and reading control groups, was used. Eighteen residents with mid- to late-stage dementia from one aged care facility in Queensland, Australia, were recruited. Participants were assessed three times using the Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease, Rating Anxiety in Dementia, Apathy Evaluation, Geriatric Depression, and Revised Algase Wandering Scales. PARO had a moderate to large positive influence on participants’ quality of life compared to the reading group. The PARO intervention group had higher pleasure scores when compared to the reading group. Findings suggest PARO may be useful as a treatment option for people with dementia; however, the need for a larger trial was identified.

Exploring the effect of companion robots on emotional expression in older people with dementia : a pilot randomized controlled trial

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated public health measures that have impacted the provision of care for people living with dementia and their families. Additionally, the isolation that results from social distancing may be harming well-being for families as formal and informal supports become less accessible. For those living with dementia and experiencing agitation, social distancing may be even harder to maintain, or social distancing could potentially aggravate dementia-related neuropsychiatric symptoms. To understand the lived experience of social and physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, we remotely interviewed 21 participants who normally attend a dementia specialty clinic in Calgary, Alberta, during a period where essential businesses were closed and health care had abruptly transitioned to telemedicine. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview and field note data. The impacts of the public health measures in response to the pandemic emerged through iterative analysis in three main categories of experience: (1) personal, (2) health services, and (3) health status (of both persons living with dementia and care partner). Isolation and mental health needs emerged as important impacts to family experiences. This in-depth understanding of the needs and experiences of the pandemic for people living with dementia suggests that innovative means are urgently needed to facilitate provision of remote medicine and also social interaction and integration.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1471301220977639

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being and virtual care for people living with dementia and care partners living in the community.

We provide an outlook on the definitions, laboratory research, and applications of social robots, with an aim to understand what makes a robot social—in the eyes of science and the general public. Social robots demonstrate their potential when deployed within contexts appropriate to their form and functions. Some examples include companions for the elderly and cognitively impaired individuals, robots within educational settings, and as tools to support cognitive and behavioural change interventions. Science fiction has inspired us to conceive of a future with autonomous robots helping with every aspect of our daily lives, although the robots we are familiar with through film and literature remain a vision of the distant future. While there are still miles to go before robots become a regular feature within our social spaces, rapid progress in social robotics research, aided by the social sciences, is helping to move us closer to this reality.

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What Makes a Robot Social? A Review of Social Robots from Science Fiction to a Home or Hospital Near You

Objectives:To investigate the effect of a social robot intervention on depression, loneliness, and quality of life of older adults in long-term care (LTC) and to explore participants’ experiences and perceptions after the intervention.Design:A mixed-methods approach consisting of a single group, before and after quasi-experimental design, and individual interview.Participants:Twenty older adults with depression from four LTC facilities in Taiwan were recruited.Intervention:Each participant participated in 8 weeks of observation and 8 weeks of intervention. In the observation stage, participants received usual care or activities without any research intervention. In the intervention stage, each participant was given a Paro (Personal Assistive RobOt) to keep for 24 hours, 7 days a week.Measurements:The Geriatric Depression Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire for older adults were administered at four time points. Individual qualitative interviews with thematic analysis followed.Results:A repeated multivariate analysis of variance and Friedmanʼs test showed no significant changes during the observation stage between T1 and T2 for depression and quality of life (p >.5). For the intervention stage, statistically significant changes in decreasing depression and loneliness and improving quality of life over time were identified. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (i) humanizing Paro through referring to personal experiences and engagement; (ii) increased social interaction with other people; and (iii) companionship resulting in improved mental well-being.Conclusions:There were significant improvements in mental well-being in using Paro. Further research may help us to understand the advantages of using a Paro intervention as depression therapy.

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A social robot intervention on depression, loneliness, and quality of life for Taiwanese older adults in long-term care.

Given the complexity of providing dementia care in hospitals, integrating technology into practice is a high challenge and an important opportunity. Although there are a growing demand and interest in using social robots in a variety of care settings to support dementia care, little is known about the impacts of the robotics and their application in care settings, i.e., what worked, in which situations, and how. Scientific databases and Google Scholar were searched to identify publications published since 2000. The inclusion criteria consisted of older people with dementia, care setting, and social robot PARO. A total of 29 papers were included in the review. Content analysis identified 3 key benefits of and 3 barriers to the use of PARO. Main benefits include: reducing negative emotion and behavioral symptoms, improving social engagement, and promoting positive mood and quality of care experience. Key barriers are: cost and workload, infection concerns, and stigma and ethical issues. This review reveals 3 research gaps: (a) the users’ needs and experiences remain unexplored, (b) few studies investigate the process of how to use the robot effectively to meet clinical needs, and (c) theory should be used to guide implementation. Most interventions conducted have been primarily researcher-focused. Future research should pay more attention to the clinical needs of the patient population and develop strategies to overcome barriers to the adoption of PARO in order to maximize patient benefits.

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The benefits of and barriers to using a social robot PARO in care settings: a scoping review

New technology, such as social robots, opens up new opportunities in hospital settings. PARO, a robotic pet seal, was designed to provide emotional and social support for older people with dementia. We applied video-ethnographic methods, including conversational interviews and observations with video recording among 10 patient participants while they were using the robot. We also conducted semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with nursing staff to gain contextual information. Patient and family partners were actively involved in the study as co-researchers. This study reports our findings on the perceptions of 10 patients with dementia about their experiences with PARO in a hospital setting. Thematic analysis yielded three substantive themes: (a) 'it's like a buddy' - the robot helps people with dementia uphold a sense of self in the world, (b) 'it's a conversation piece' - the baby seal facilitates social connection and (c) 'it makes me happy' - PARO transforms and humanizes the clinical setting. Our findings help provide a better understanding of the perspectives of patients with dementia on the use of social robots.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1471301219894141

Exploring the perceptions of people with dementia about the social robot PARO in a hospital setting.

Background: Staying in the hospital can be a very stressful experience for older people with dementia. A familiar face and reassuring voice of a family member or friend can offer a sense of safety ...

Feasibility and acceptability of an iPad intervention to support dementia care in the hospital setting.

Obtaining new knowledge accepted and used by practitioners remains a slow process. A dearth of knowledge translation research exists that explores how to effectively move knowledge to practice in the field of older adult mental health. The current article reports findings of a knowledge translation study that examined what factors enabled the adoption of a new clinical assessment framework, P.I.E.C.E.S.™, into practice in an older adult tertiary mental health unit. Theoretical insights of appreciative inquiry were used to guide the study. Qualitative methods were used, including focus groups with 20 staff and individual interviews with three leaders. The appreciative inquiry approach helped researchers successfully facilitate knowledge translation. Enabling factors included: (a) fostering positive energy to make continuous improvement, (b) working with team members across disciplines at all levels, and (c) using knowledge translation tools to enable and sustain the new practice. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 54 (7), 26-31.].

Adopting a Clinical Assessment Framework in Older Adult Mental Health.

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Andy Au-Yeung

Papers

The benefits of and barriers to using a social robot PARO in care settings: a scoping review

Exploring the perceptions of people with dementia about the social robot PARO in a hospital setting.

Feasibility and acceptability of an iPad intervention to support dementia care in the hospital setting.

Adopting a Clinical Assessment Framework in Older Adult Mental Health.

Involving patients and families in a social robot study