As caregivers, support is so crucial to getting through this journey. So many caregivers don’t have a support network and struggle through every day feeling alone and isolated. Some rely on family members; others do find a support group who gets it. Most plod through day after day, stressed, not sleeping, not eating well, tired, irritable and eventually getting sick.

Now that Ai has infiltrated our technology and businesses, it is also infiltrating the caregiving field. There are places for this tool where it can speed up processes, finding information or getting some answers. However, it is still just a tool! It is not a human.

Caregiving is a very human act. It requires the heart of a human being, the mind of someone who can think independently, the listening ears of someone in tune to what is being said or not said and the gentle hands and physical presence of love and care. Caregiving, caring for someone who is loved, ailing, very old, needs a human.

Ai cannot do any of this! So, what can Ai do for a caregiver? Recent apps that have come on the marketplace would have us believe they can provide support comments, answers to questions, and empathy to a caregiver. These apps would have us believe that they can generate a “chat” with a caregiver that will solve their loneliness and isolation. They would also have us believe that Ai can answer a complex question about care by sweeping the internet of all that is out there. I don’t know about you, but that would scare me! How could I trust any of it?

And that is part of the problem with Ai. It is proven not to be trustworthy in the information it provides. It does not check sources, it plagiarizes content, it spits out an answer in seconds to a question that may require some deep consideration. Many caregiving questions involve the input of various people and experts. A lot of caregiving outside of healthcare specifically, is intuitive, something an Ai chat bot can’t do.

Here are some differences in Ai as support vs. a human:

Human                                                                                            Ai

Cost                                    $$$                                                                                                     $

Time                                    Thoughtful                                                                                     Quick

Attention                          Focused                                                                                          To the keyboard

Facts/Resources         Nuanced                                                                                         Not checked

I am not opposed at all to Ai. I find it to be a useful tool. A TOOL! It cannot listen to you with the empathy of a human, it cannot detect the tone of your voice verging on tears and provide you with the support you need at that moment. It may be able to sweep the internet for other caregiving experiences, but it cannot listen to your unique story and situation and provide what is needed. Yes, it does not judge, does not discern your gender, age, race, income. And, it does not also discern the struggles you may be having because of these things.

The biggest fault with Ai in the caregiving field is that it does not listen. Caregivers have stories, struggles, stress and loneliness. Those are distinctly human qualities that a chat bot cannot support, hear, or touch with a hand.

So, when opting to use Ai for your caregiving needs, choose wisely how you use it. I do believe there are some things a robot cannot do. At least not now!