The Government has announced a £34m scheme to teach robots “empathy” to care for people in care homes.
The technology is being developed in the private sector, but the Government is worried that robots will struggle to care for people in homes because they lack a human touch.
The fund will be distributed to universities and other research groups, who will develop guidelines to help robots make human-like decisions when caring for older people.
Robots will be required to make decisions that prioritise the care of humans.
For instance, if a person was to fall while carrying a cup of tea, the guidelines would require robots to help the fallen person before cleaning up the mess.
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That’s all folks … unless you subscribe to the Daily Telegraph ?
My first thought was what’s the date, is it April? My second, so the elderly in care homes, many of whom have dementia and are already confused at best, can no longer have the human touch? My mom is one of those people.
£34m? Better spent towards setting up proper training and a qualification and better pay for care workers.
I laughed at first. Probably nervous laughter because this isn’t funny. This is Boris’s answer to the social care crisis? I’m stopping writing now because I’m starting to get angry.
