Re:Ask HN: Is building a palliative AI companion for people ...
by motohagiography on Monday December 16, 2024 @12:41AM
(#42428252)
does it introduce itself? like, "Good morning, I am an AI assistant here to help you with memory problems associated with dementia. Some of the things you perceive may not be present for others. You are otherwise healthy, safe, and loved. I have been provided with some memories for you and I will remind you of them when you need them. If this feels like your first perception of this message, please let us know and we can bring you up to date with your medical condition and what to expect."
Then it recognizes faces of visitors and maintains backstories on them, senses the distance from base reality the patient is responding in, and then keeps the patient on track and managing their condition with the least possible suffering.
It seems horrific, but also humane in some cases.
Re:Ask HN: Is building a palliative AI companion for people ...
by InfiniteLoup on Monday December 16, 2024 @07:54AM
(#42430560)
Reminds me of the movie "50 First Dates"...
I often wondered how to handle such a situation without traumatizing the affected person every single morning. Truly one of the few rom-coms that left a lasting impression (on me).
What it shouldn't do is give specific advice on medical matters. Even if it's no worse than a doctor, or even better than a doctor, 9 times out of 10, that one exception could cause serious trouble. Unlike regular Chat-GTP users, people with dementia are already quite sick, are (usually) already on medication, and require more thoughtful care.
More importantly, it shouldn't be capable of mimicking a living or dead person. You'd probably need to hardwire it so that it has a name and "personality" of its own, which can't be changed by the user.