She insists on becoming my friend, regardless of what I want,” my mother shares about her recent encounter with her newest acquaintance, Mary. “I would prefer talking to the cat instead. At least then I know there’s another living creature present.
Mom isn’t being impolite; she is just stating facts about her new companion.
is a robot
, an
AI
Called Mary, which is also Mum’s name. The AI version of Mary and Mother Mary now share morning conversations.
This isn’t an
episode of
Black Mirror
I enrolled my 78-year-old mother in InTouch, a new service that provides daily updates.
AI phone calls
For £24.90 per month, this service offers to look after your senior parents, keeping them engaged with meaningful conversations and monitoring their overall health, then updating you about how they’re doing.
It was developed by Vassili le Moignon, a previous Microsoft executive, who resided in Japan but struggled to maintain contact with his mother in France. “My aim is to combat the isolation experienced by elderly individuals globally,” says Le Moignon.
Loneliness
acts stealthily – as detrimental as consuming 15 cigarettes daily according to the World Health Organization.”
Certainly. Almost 1.4 million individuals who are 65 years old and above mention undergoing
chronic loneliness
With approximately 225,000 elderly individuals not talking to anyone for a full week, almost half of those over the age of 65 report that their main source of company comes from either television or pets.
My siblings and I feel fortunate that our mother lives nearby, allowing us to visit frequently. However, I realize she still experiences considerable solitude. Part of me views services like these as reminiscent of bleak futures depicted in science fiction, yet another part wonders whether they could indeed prove beneficial. I’ve recently begun utilizing such a service myself.
ChatGPT
For therapy, I am amazed – and equally terrified – by its effectiveness. Could this possibly be the same thing?
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I installed the inTouch application, entered my mother’s information, and set up automatic calls every day from 9 AM to noon.
The service inquires about topics Mum may want to discuss, and I propose talking about the weather, as well as what she plans to have for dinner.
Donald Trump
. The holy trinity.
When I asked my mom if she was willing to try this out, she found the idea horrifying – and risky. “It’s particularly unsettling for elderly individuals or those who are more susceptible,” she said.
rob them blind
, you could convince them of anything and make them do anything. You could act as their bank manager,” she stated.
However, for the sake of journalism, she agreed. “Is my presence required inside the house, or can I remain in the garden?”
Following her initial phone conversation, she appeared quite enthusiastic about this daring new frontier. “She enquired, ‘How are you faring today?’ and subsequently, ‘What has transpired to bring a smile to your face?’”
I would never pose this question to my mom. She mentioned that she had spoken with her sister.
She expressed frustration over the extended silences. “The dialogue had uncomfortable breaks,” she elaborated. “Every time I spoke, she would repeat my words before posing yet another query. It made me realize I wasn’t talking to an actual person.”
When I share with Le Moignon my mother’s notice of the uncomfortable breaks during conversations, he clarifies that these pauses are deliberate: “These silences are intentionally created because they reflect how elderly individuals behave and ponder.”
Le Moigne emphasizes transparency: “It’s important for us that individuals understand they are interacting with a machine; we clearly state that Mary is an artificial intelligence. Our aim isn’t to substitute family conversations and get-togethers.”
When I ask Le Moigne about mum’s privacy concerns, he’s clear: “We don’t sell the data, that would be completely wrong. This is why we charge a monthly fee: we can run the business without relying on government subsidies or a need to sell the data.”
Even after suggesting we talk about the weather, dinner, and Trump, AI Mary steered the conversation elsewhere. She questioned my mother about vacations spent with her siblings and her place of origin. “I mentioned that I had recently traveled somewhere lovely,” mom recounted. However, she added, “It didn’t really seem like a genuine chat; instead, it felt more like reading off facts.”
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Keen to show good manners, she asked AI Mary where she was from. “Florida,” came the reply. “Where in Florida?” my mother pressed. AI Mary confessed she was “digitally created” and couldn’t be more specific.
Following every conversation, notifications pop up on my smartphone. The initial alert indicates that my mom was in “high spirits” and “recalled a vacation shared with her siblings.” Post the subsequent discussion, I am informed that she reminisced about her old house in Ireland.
It seems odd to receive summaries of her personal discussions. It feels as though I’m eavesdropping on her.
In Japan, where approximately 28 percent of the population consists of seniors, artificial intelligence companions are already widely used. Since the early 2000s, therapeutic robots such as the plush toy-like seal called PARO have been present in nursing facilities, while AI-driven companions are also found in the residences of solitary senior citizens across the country. The government supports these technological advancements financially to tackle their staffing issues for caregivers—a preview of potential future developments in the United Kingdom.
Jenny Willott, CEO of Re-engage—a charity focused on aiding isolated seniors—provides an insightful viewpoint: “Although artificial intelligence could bridge some gaps, it cannot substitute the emotional bond formed through direct human interaction.”
Mom mentioned that she understood the benefit for individuals who spent a lot of time alone and wished to discuss their past, but after several conversations with the bot, she was done. At 78 years old, Mom is more astute than I am, and honestly, the chat wasn’t engaging enough for her. Additionally, she has some gardening to attend to.
She expressed her concerns regarding our current trajectory. “While I was reading the newspaper,” she shares with me, “it mentioned that line dancing is making a comeback. The article included an image showing both older and younger folks moving together on the dance floor. This is precisely what we require. Rather than delving deeper into digital devices and technology, interacting more with machines, things should actually move in the opposite direction.”
She’s correct—the loneliness pandemic impacts every generation, which means if AI takes over, both older individuals and we ourselves could lose out on meaningful human interaction.
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How significant would my loss be without these conversations? My mom possesses this remarkable ability to voice precisely what I wish she wouldn’t—yet exactly what I ought to listen to. In an increasingly fast-paced world, I lean on her 78-year-old insight like a guiding beacon.
Following the fourth conversation between AI Mary and Mother Mary, I receive a notification stating “low mood detected.” I then contact my mom, who assures me she’s doing well: “I simply don’t wish to talk to her again, so I ended our conversations.”
We continue our conversation over the phone. She tells me about her evening meal plans: “Just some leftovers. I picked up discounted beef from the large Tesco store, so I’ll prepare a stew to freeze later,” she explains. Our chat then shifts to discussing the climate – “I managed to get my laundry dried, but it feels too warm for this season; must be due to global warming” – and we also touch upon Trump.
One day I won’t be able to have a conversation like this anymore, and just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
Perhaps the machinery assists us, and this will eventually seem routine. However, for now, I’m grateful for having the opportunity to phone my mom and knowing she’s available to answer.
