AI chatbots are increasingly being used for companionship, but a South Korean municipality took it one step further by providing elderly residents living alone a ChatGPT-powered doll that keeps them company and monitors their health, Rest of World reported.
Developed by South Korean startup Hyodol, the dolls remind residents to take medication and eat, and they notify family members when their sensors detect an emergency.
For busy caretakers who can’t be with every client all day, the dolls act as a first line of defense, monitoring their mental states and sending reports to the caretakers about patients in need of assistance. The rise of companionship robots comes at a time when caretaking costs are increasing and many elderly people suffer from loneliness. Robots can help mitigate both issues, though they also raise concerns that impersonal relationships actually lead individuals to become more isolated, preferring interactions with AI to those with humans.