Social Structures
Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning Institute (ALL Institute)
The European Union (EU) is arguably emerging as a global leader in the ethical and human rights-based regulation and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, domestic and wider societal settings in the twenty-first century. On the 8th of April 2019, the EU High-Level Expert Group on AI presented ‘Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence’. This followed the publication of the guidelines’ first draft in December 2018 on which more than five hundred comments were received through an open consultation.
According to the Guidelines, trustworthy AI should be:
(1) Lawful – Respecting all applicable laws and regulations
(2) Ethical – Respecting ethical principles and values
(3) Robust – Both from a technical perspective while taking into account its social environment
The following definition of AI is proposed within the European Commission’s ‘Communication on AI’:
“Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to systems that display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals. AI-based systems can be purely software-based, acting in the virtual world (e.g. voice assistants, image analysis software, search engines, speech and face recognition systems) or AI can be embedded in hardware devices (e.g. advanced robots, autonomous cars, drones or Internet of Things applications).
Global demographic trends indicate a general slow-down in birth rates in developed countries which, combined with climbing life-expectancy and improvements in longevity and healthcare, indicate a steady increase in the number of retired persons over the age of 65 in the medium to long-term. This is particularly evident in the countries of the EU-27 and in Japan. Consequently, it is important that a high level of ‘Trust’, in the legal and general sense, is established within the general public regarding the incorporation of robotic devices and AI into the lives persons with disabilities, including older persons with disabilities.
Japan’s demographic trajectory, level of development and subsequent decline in birth rates and rise in death rates, seem to indicate to developed nations what their future holds as fewer people decide to have children. In addition, as time passes, demographic pyramids lose their traditional ‘pyramidic’ shape and instead they start to resemble ‘top-heavy’ pillars whose bases are slowly eroding. It is evident that if humanity is to avoid an impending demographic and economic crisis as developed, wealthy nations start to move towards the Japanese demographic trend, then it is of vital importance that societies become more amenable to the concept of robotics-aided care and further integration of AI and the ‘internet of things’ into their daily lives and healthcare. The scholarly article, ‘The ageing ‘care crisis’ in Japan: is there a role for robotics-based solutions?’ by Ide et al. (2021), highlights some stark findings regarding the challenges posed by an ageing society and subsequent demographic decline. This article explains that as the proportion of older persons in Japan increases, it is predicted that there will be a shortage of 370,000 nurses and care professionals in Japan by 2025.
Japan, which has for decades been recognized as a global leader in robotics and high-end technological industries, is seeking to use robotics-aided care to offset the challenges posed by demographic decline and the resultant dearth of suitably qualified persons to provide such support. However, despite the long-established culture of technological and economic prowess in Japan, there are still issues surrounding societal attitudes towards robotics-aided care where individuals seem to have doubts and ‘trust’ issues regarding the deployment of robotics in the care environment and within people’s homes.
The 2021 documentary video titled, ‘Circuits of Care: Ageing and Japan’s Robot Revolution’, is directed and produced by Prof. David Prendergast and Dr Naonori Kodate, who are leading experts and advocates in the study of the integrations of robotics-aided care and AI for older persons with disabilities. This documentary displays in a very educational and easily understandable manner, the potential benefits of such technology for enhancing independent living and higher quality of life for persons with disabilities.
However, even a culture such as that of Japan, one that is used to the presence of robotics technology for a long time relative to other nations of the earth, struggles with societal attitudes and mistrust regarding the deployment, efficacy, and suitability of robotics and AI in the lives of persons with disabilities. If Japanese culture struggles with this, how does it bode for other cultures who may be far less amenable and predisposed to the integration of robotics and AI into their daily lives, healthcare provision and living supports. It is evident that ‘awareness-raising’ and ‘trust-building’ are crucial elements for governments, NGOs, companies and bodies of international agency to consider for the successful implementation of robotics-aided care across societies as growing numbers of countries reach a stage of development that slows down their demographic growth, leading to eventual demographic decline.
It is imperative that the general public is educated and informed of the necessity and benefits of robotics and AI, and the advantages it can yield when integrated in care and support systems for persons with disabilities. The potential of robotics and AI to contribute to ‘de-institutionalisation’ in care and support for persons with disabilities and enhance independent living and autonomous decision-making is undeniably profound. According to the EUROSTAT website, in 2019, more than one fifth (20.3%) of the EU-27 population was aged 65 and over. The ‘Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion’ website of the European Commission estimates that one-fifth of the population of the EU had some form of disability as of 2020.
The EU High-Level Expert Group on AI declare that:
‘For societal and environmental well-being: AI systems should benefit all human beings, including future generations. It must hence be ensured that they are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Moreover, they should take into account the environment, including other living beings, and their social and societal impact should be carefully considered’.
Therefore, it is of vital importance that societies are educated about the potential benefits of robotics-aided care in a future where human caregivers are fewer in number and are not as readily available to provide support as a result. This is necessary to avert a global demographic and healthcare crisis of enormous proportions, and to protect and promote the human rights, independence, and liberties of all persons across the world. It is clear that robotics-aided care and AI is vital for the continuity of healthy global demographic, welfare and socio-economic trends into the future.