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NURSE ANN DROID WILL SEE YOU NOW: Will AI care providers empower and assist independence or exploit and intensify isolation?


Tuesday 15th September 2015, 2:30pm

Council Room, One Great George Street, 
1 Great George Street, 
Westminster, SW1P 3AA (just off Parliament Square) 

Followed by a drinks reception

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Technological and demographic change are among several drivers which are helping to shape our ever increasing globalised and developing world. We are living in unprecedented times. The increase in computational power and the explosion of devices which connect to the internet, forming the ubiquitous ‘Internet of Things’, offer extraordinary opportunities for data generation, collection and monitoring. The idea of embedding sensors and actuators in machines and other physical objects to bring them into a connected world without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction is steadily evolving.  

There are now 11 million people aged 65 or over in the UK with 3 million people aged 80 or over. By 2050, estimates predict that the elderly will account for 16 percent of the global population. Research suggests that about three-quarters of elderly people will develop a social care need, which can include anything from help getting up in the morning to round-the-clock support in a residential home. Providing the most appropriate and effective forms of care (physically, emotionally and mentally) for these people will present an enormous challenge, so much so it is anticipated that there will be a shortage of professionals who are trained, equipped and willing to take on the responsibility.

According to the UK Government strategy for Robotics and Autonomous System 2015, is likely that robots and AI assisted appliances will take on the part of the role of care providers including meeting practical care needs, providing round-the-clock support and even providing a form of companionship. This is a striking technological and social development with widespread but poorly understood implications for the society as a whole.
 
Robotics and AI technologies could offer the opportunity to greatly increase the freedom and independence of the ageing population, allowing people to stay in their homes for longer and facilitate their social lives. But what might be the dangers posed to civil and human rights? Technology can assist with the tasks of care but could it be exploited for the practice of care? 

What should the future of care of the older person look like? What role should technology have to play in this? How can it make the future a better place for the older person?

As its focus for 2015 BioCentre is looking at the future impact and implications in AI and robotics in care of the older person. Join us as we explore and discuss this crucial subject with the aim of: 

- Helping to contribute to future discussions by identifying and articulating what really is possible in the short to mid-term. What is literally just around the corner? 
- Framing the key questions which therefore require our attention and response now.
- Evaluating which themes should be shaping the agenda now as the technologies advance. What is emerging in the not too distant future?
 
 
GUEST SPEAKERS INCLUDE:   

[+] PROF ARLENE ASTELL - Professor of Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare, University of Sheffield 
[+] JACKIE MARSHALL-BALLOCH - Lead on Long Term Care Revolution, InnovateUK
[+] Dr KATHLEEN RICHARDSON - Senior Research Fellow in the Ethics of Robotics, De Montfort University Leicester 
[+] CAROLINE ABRAHAMS - Director of Charity, AgeUK 
[+] PROF NIGEL CAMERON - CEO of Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies; Executive Chairman of BioCentre


The event will consist of short speaker presentations followed by panel Q&A. 

The event is FREE to attend but RSVPs are required. To register visit: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nurse-ann-droid-will-see-you-now-will-ai-care-providers-empower-assist-independence-or-exploit-tickets-17981446992 

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