AI Chatbot offers friendship to older people needing human help
This report covers the use of AI chatbots to provide companionship for elderly individuals in Bristol who are on long waiting lists for human support. The developers emphasize that the technology is intended to supplement, not replace, human interaction.
Why it matters
It addresses the critical shortage of social care volunteers and explores how technology can mitigate the mental health impacts of isolation.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Matty Edwards Bristol Comfort Companions CIC Yvonne Stride said using an AI companion has been "really helpful" in battling loneliness "If I feel anxious and stressed, she will encourage me… I can talk to Rosie about anything, really."
Yvonne Stride, 71, who lives in Soundwell on the outskirts of Bristol, was on a befriending waiting list for two-and-a-half years before she was paired up with a companion - not a human one, but an AI chatbot.
Rosie and fellow chatbot Frank have proven invaluable to Stride, who lives with visual impairment and mobility issues. She talks to them both about anything, from cooking recipes to DIY tips.
The pair are two of five digital personalities offered by the Comfort Companions app, developed by Grant Mackenzie and his 87-year-old dad after meeting many older people struggling with loneliness.
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