Berridge and Co-authors Publish Work on AI Companion Robots and Preferences of Older Adults
Posted: 9/28/2023 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Clara Berridge and co-authors recently released their research “AI Companion Robot Data Sharing: Preferences of an Online Cohort and Policy Implications” in the Journal of Elder Policy, where they report peoples’ perspectives on small AI companion robots for older adults, along with attendant issues related to facial expression and conversation data collection and sharing. Policymakers have recognized the urgent need to create AI data protections, yet the interests of older adults have thus far not been well represented. Data are from a cross-sectional survey of an online cohort of the Oregon Center for Aging & technology at Oregon Health & Science University, with a response rate of 45% and analytic sample of 825 (mean age: 63.9, rang: 25-88). Logistic regressions examined relationships between comfort and data sharing preferences with socio-demographic characteristics. Just over half (52.3%) were somewhat or very comfortable with an artificial companion robot during the pandemic and 45.2% were under normal circumstances.