What Impact Does Generative AI Have on Aging Services?
During a panel discussion about ChatGPT and generative AI as a whole, Joe Velderman, vice president of innovation at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Cypress Living, urged his fellow senior care organization leaders to think about their use of AI immediately if they haven’t already.
People are already living AI-assisted realities, from video suggestions through YouTube’s algorithm to suggested words and phrases for emails through Gmail, he said.
At Cypress Living, Velderman explained that the organization uses AI in helpdesk software, which has significantly augmented the work of the IT department. The organization is also testing an internally developed AI chatbot in Microsoft Teams for clinician decision support.
“It’s our opportunity right now to think about how we’re going to responsibly use artificial intelligence going forward. We can’t get this wrong,” he said.
David Lindeman, director of the Center for Technology and Aging at the University of California, Berkeley, said he understood that there would always be fear with new technology, but that things will always change. Organizations should adapt but also move forward with a critical eye.
He predicted that the next two to three years will be central in creating guardrails for AI tools, especially with concerns about bias and data quality. Rama Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, also stressed the importance of securing protected health information.
READ MORE: Why senior care organizations need to prioritize employee security training.
Lindeman added that the incoming generation of employees will be more familiar with generative AI, so organizations that aren’t already crystalizing their AI strategy will miss out on attracting new talent.
AI will be key to improving senior care in two ways, Lindeman said: automating back-end tasks, such as creating reports so that staff can focus on better care management; and personalizing care to improve resident engagement.
Velderman also said that there were three types of businesses: those that are AI-native and lead with AI; those that are AI-emerging and will be transformed by AI once they adopt the solutions; and those that are obsolete.
He hoped for fellow conference attendees to be in the AI-emerging group. “We need to adapt, we need to transform, or we’re going to become obsolete,” Velderman said.
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