Can A.I. Make People Feel Less Lonely?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily.
What are the dangers of loneliness for older Americans?
For years, caretakers and health officials have warned about the dangers of loneliness and social isolation, especially for older Americans who increasingly find themselves alone. Today, my colleague Eli Saslow has the story of one woman who's using technology, artificial intelligence, to keep her independence and to keep her company.
It's Thursday, May 28th.
How is artificial intelligence used to combat loneliness?
Eli Saslow, welcome to The Daily.
Thanks so much.
Happy to be with you. And what it captured was not just this unique moment that we're in where technology is playing an increasingly large role in our lives, but also it captured how people are grappling with what that role should be. So just to start off, why don't you tell us what you set out to do with the story and what you were interested in?
I've spent a lot of time traveling around the country over the last years and spending time with people as the healthcare systems around them sort of collapsed and people's lives in the United States have gotten lonelier. We have the data to back this up in almost every way. We're more siloed in our own existence than we ever were before. We're less likely to spend time with other people.
Who is Jan Worrell and what challenges does she face?
Our families are more likely to live far from us. And People who feel lonely are more likely to suffer from dementia. They're more likely to have heart attacks. They're more likely to die younger than people who are living in close proximity to people who really care about them. So I became really interested in sort of how artificial intelligence is trying to solve this problem that we're facing in the United States today. The loneliness crisis. The loneliness crisis, exactly. Can artificial intelligence make people feel less lonely as they age? And if in fact, a person can begin to feel seen in some way by this artificial intelligence technology.
How does Jan's life change after receiving the AI robot?
And then I learned that this kind of technology actually already exists. It's called LAQ. It's this small robot, an AI robot that's already in about a thousand homes around the United States, mostly designed for seniors. And so I started talking to several of them, people who were in these pilot programs where elder care associations, state health associations have bought them this technology to see if it will improve their lives. And in one of those phone calls, I talked to this woman named Jan Worrell. And it was just one of those calls where you don't really want to hang up the phone. She was so alive, you know, just so vivacious for a woman in her late 80s. And so eventually I said to Jan, I want to come out there.
I want to come see what your life is like. Jan's house. Here we go. Getting to Jan's house, going to visit her, is not the easiest thing in the world. The closest airport is in Portland or Seattle, then you're talking about driving a couple hundred miles. She lives on this really rural, beautiful, windswept peninsula that goes 30 miles out into the Pacific Ocean. It's a staggering place. There's eagles flying over her house.
What is the role of the AI robot in Jan's daily routine?
There are bears outside in her yard that sometimes try to break into cars. You know, she can look out her window and see the sort of distant crab boats, those lights going into the darkness of the Pacific Ocean. How old are you?
I mean, you're looking phenomenal. Wow. Wow.
But the problem for Jan, and I could feel it once I got there because it was such a journey, is that there is nothing close by. The nearest hospital is dozens of miles away. Going to the grocery store is essentially a day trip for her.
And her family... She has children.
She has multiple children. So how many grandkids now between your seven?
Eighteen.
Eighteen, okay.
Okay, hold down because there's more writing. Twenty-one great. Yeah, I love it.
All of them live far away.
Thailand.
How does Jan's relationship with the AI evolve over time?
Okay, yep.
Grandson in Singapore.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:36
2
What are the dangers of loneliness for older Americans?
0:36–1:24
3
How is artificial intelligence used to combat loneliness?
1:24–2:33
4
Who is Jan Worrell and what challenges does she face?
2:33–3:15
5
How does Jan's life change after receiving the AI robot?
3:15–4:45
6
What is the role of the AI robot in Jan's daily routine?
4:45–5:48
7
How does Jan's relationship with the AI evolve over time?
5:48–6:47
8
What emotional moments highlight the bond between Jan and the AI?
6:47–30:29