HONG KONG, Oct 29 – Artificial intelligence (AI) could help address staff shortages in healthcare and caregiving. CNN’s Innovate explores how AI companions and robots may support older adults and people living with health conditions.
The upcoming episode travels across the United States to examine new technologies designed to provide companionship, assist with daily tasks and support physical activity.
However, the programme also raises an important question: can AI provide care without replacing essential human connection and judgement?
AI Companion Supports Older Adults
In New York State, 73-year-old Dee Humphrey shares her home with ElliQ, a lamp-like AI companion. The device chats with her, plays games and encourages her to exercise or take her medication.
Dor Skuler, co-founder of Intuition Robotics, developed the technology to help support an ageing population.
CNN’s Innovate explores how AI companions can help older adults while preserving meaningful relationships with family members and caregivers.
AI Telephone Assistant Helps Hospital Staff
The programme also visits Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. There, nurse Desauna Tabor and her colleagues are helping train Rachel, an AI telephone assistant.
The team says the assistant can identify families’ needs and give healthcare workers more time to focus on patients.
Munjal Shah, co-founder of Hippocratic AI, believes the technology could help healthcare providers reach more people. He points out that when staff are stretched, some patients may not receive follow-up calls at all.
However, AI systems must recognise when a situation requires help from a human professional.
Robot Helps a Man Living with Parkinson’s
In Atlanta, CNN meets Jerry Feldman, who lives with Parkinson’s disease. He is working with Dr Madeleine Hackney to test ZEST-E, an exercise robot.
His experience also helps researchers understand what users need from assistive technology.
The programme also features Aaron Edsinger, CEO of Hello Robot. He believes robots could help people when human assistance is not available.
For Jerry, this could mean getting medicine or food when he is alone and finds movement difficult.
Can Technology Work Alongside Human Care?
AI and robotics are creating new possibilities for healthcare and everyday support. These technologies could help caregivers manage their workload and provide assistance to people who need it.
Still, technology cannot automatically replace human understanding, personal relationships or professional judgement.
CNN’s Innovate examines both the potential and the challenges of using AI in caregiving. The programme explores how these tools might support people while keeping human care at the centre.
CNN Innovate Airtimes
CNN’s Innovate will air at the following times, according to the supplied programme information:
- Saturday, Oct 31: 6:30 pm HKT
- Sunday, Nov 1: 9:30 am and 4:30 pm HKT
- Monday, Nov 2: 2:30 am HKT
Source: PR Newswire | Rewritten by Minutesmy
