ReviewJournal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD2020
Ethical Issues Raised by the Introduction of Artificial Companions to Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Call for Interdisciplinary Collaborations.
Review in Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- A strategic pathway for the ethical development of AI tools in dementia care.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- A Preliminary Exploration of the Behavioural Criteria of Ethical Care With Dementia.Nursing open · 2026Review
- Ethical considerations in home monitoring technologies for persons living with cognitive impairment: a scoping review.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Independent Living for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Narrative Review of Stakeholder Perceptions and Experiences with Assistive and Socially Assistive Robots.Journal of ageing and longevity · 2025Article
- Around the EQUATOR With Clin-STAR: AI-Based Randomized Controlled Trial Challenges and Opportunities in Aging Research.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Identification of Ethical Issues and Practice Recommendations Regarding the Use of Robotic Coaching Solutions for Older Adults: Narrative Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Review
- The staff perspectives of facilitators and barriers to implementing virtual reality for people living with dementia in long-term care.Frontiers in dementia · 2024Article
- Current status, challenges and future prospects in computational psychiatry: a narrative review.Consortium psychiatricum · 2023Review
- Toward Responsible Artificial Intelligence in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review on Practical Approaches.The Gerontologist · 2023Article
- Companion robots to mitigate loneliness among older adults: Perceptions of benefit and possible deception.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- The Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment Project's Policy Advisory Group on Long-Term Services and Supports: Setting a Research Equity Agenda.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Health Professionals' Experience Using an Azure Voice-Bot to Examine Cognitive Impairment (WAY2AGE).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Application Scenarios for Artificial Intelligence in Nursing Care: Rapid Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Review
- Companion robots for older adults: Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis approach.Intelligent service robotics · 2021Article
- Seeking a Sense of Belonging.Generations (San Francisco, Calif.) · 2020Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Due to the high costs of providing long-term care to older adults with cognitive impairment, artificial companions are increasingly considered as a cost-efficient way to provide support. Artificial companions can comfort, entertain, and inform, and even induce a sense of being in a close relationship. Sensors and algorithms are increasingly leading to applications that exude a life-like feel. We focus on a case study of an artificial companion for people with cognitive impairment. This companion is an avatar on an electronic tablet that is displayed as a dog or a cat. Whereas artificial intelligence guides most artificial companions, this application also relies on technicians "behind" the on-screen avatar, who via surveillance, interact with users. This case is notable because it particularly illustrates the tension between the endless opportunities offered by technology and the ethical issues stemming from limited regulations. Reviewing the case through the lens of biomedical ethics, concerns of deception, monitoring and tracking, as well as informed consent and social isolation are raised by the introduction of this technology to users with cognitive impairment. We provide a detailed description of the case, review the main ethical issues and present two theoretical frameworks, the "human-driven technology" platform and the emancipatory gerontology framework, to inform the design of future applications.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.