AI governance in aged care

While providing cybersecurity and data protection services to the aged care industry over the past five years, I have seen the number of individuals requiring aged care increase significantly.

The World Health Organization predicts the number of individuals aged 60 and above will reach 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050, while the number of people aged 80 and older is expected to triple between 2020-50.

Medical advances in health care and the pharmaceutical industry mean people are living longer than before. Colleagues at aged care facilities say the increase will lead to significant demand in aged caregivers, medical diagnosis facilities, nursing and aged care facilities. The gap between the supply and demand in aged care facilities is expected to be high in the next five to 10 years, which is why organizations are exploring ways to fill it.

The chief information officer of one aged care facility procured an artificial intelligence management system that would provide AI agents trained by staff to act as smart caregivers. They would advise the elderly, record medicine taken — under staff supervision, and act as social companions. The AI agents would also help with automatic scheduling of staff.