industry & reform also need to look at the kinds of ideas that underpin the design of AI and its use . So this was the context for our study . And so what we wanted to understand were the links between AI in aged care and ageism .
Ageism relates to the stereotypes and the prejudice and the discrimination based on age . We know that ageism is quite pervasive and has really harmful consequences for older people affecting their health . For example , their quality of life , but also their sense of belonging and social value . And so in our study we interviewed AI developers working on technologies for later life care . We also interviewed aged care staff and those advocating for aged care to really capture their views of AI in aged care . And these groups have a really critical role because they are not only designing in the case of AI developers , but then they are also implementing and adopting the technology in particular way , such as in the case of aged care staff and those advocating for aged care . So this was what we did in terms of the study .
What are some examples of how AI can perpetuate ageist stereotypes ? Some of the technologies that we were looking at in our research , robotics , robots , smart robots , are used with particular ideas in mind . First of all , that older people in aged care are all the same , so they all want the same thing . So it really homogenises this population . As we know , frail , older people in aged care are very diverse . They have different needs and desires and aspirations , but the technology tends to have a particular technological trope or a particular use in mind , which is the very frail , dependent , passive , incompetent with technology residents . And so those ideas , of course , affect not only how the technology is designed , but also the potential for its usage because it keeps perpetuating ideas about residents of aged care facilities . This idea again , that they ’ re all the same , that they all struggle with technology , that they ’ re all inept or incompetent with technology .
And so that ’ s really important . But what we saw in our study was that that
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Ageist views about older people as being dependent and incompetent affect how technologies are developed .
ageism can be generated by design . So ageist views about older people as dependent and incompetent affect how technologies are developed . But then those implementing technologies such as aged care staff can also amplify , exacerbate those ageist views because of the choices they make about how to use technologies in context of care . For example , a lot of our interviewees working in aged care would say that AI technologies will probably not be sufficiently adopted in aged care because other people don ’ t know how to use technology . But also other aged care staff members are incompetent with technology . And so we can see how ll those ideas are affecting , again , not only the design , but then the adoption and use of technology in aged care .
Do you think developers are considering ageism when creating new technologies ? I don ’ t think that AI developers want to exclude or have ageist views on purpose . I think that ageism is so embedded in the fabric of our contemporary societies , in
our western societies , that we often don ’ t even question it . And so we have this very simplistic understanding of older people , they are all frail and dependent and they require 24 / 7 care or they are selfish and so on . There ’ s nothing in between . And what we know is that there ’ s so much diversity in the older population . So I think it ’ s just , it ’ s so ingrained in how we live our lives that developers don ’ t question . They don ’ t think in advance if they ’ re being ageist or not . It ’ s interesting because the World Health Organisation published a global report in 2021 showing that one in two people worldwide are ageist . So ageism is the most socially accepted form of stereotyping and discrimination because we just don ’ t question it .
We are so obsessed in our western societies about being and looking young that everything that is old for us is linked to a negative understanding of life . And so this , of course , affects those who are developing technologies for aged care . Even though , and I do need to emphasise this , all our interviewees , all our participants were really passionate about the work that they are doing for and in aged care . And so they had really good intentions , but they were unintentionally perpetuating those stereotypes . We call this compassionate ageism . So we do care for older people , but we still have very stereotypical understanding of older people . ■ agedcareinsite . com . au 15