Health Yokosuka City to pilot AI-powered dementia prevention

[thomas]

The city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa is launching a groundbreaking initiative to combat its ageing population. By partnering with industry and academia, the city plans to develop a dementia prevention service utilizing conversational generative AI. A pilot program is set to begin in October 2024 and run through March 2025. If successful, the AI-powered service could be fully integrated into public health programs. The project aims to fill a research gap, as there is limited data on the use of generative AI for dementia prevention.

In the trials starting as early as October, elderly participants who agree to cooperate will access the system via smartphones or tablet devices to engage in conversation with the AI. The generative AI will be trained on news from the Showa era (1926-1989) to encourage elderly users to talk about what they remember from the past. In 2020, there were 20,198 people aged 85 and older in the city. This figure is projected to increase 1.45 times to 29,277 by 2030. While survey data indicate that about 30% of people aged 85 to 89 and about 50% of those aged 90 and older develop dementia, other reports suggest that social interaction can reduce the risk of symptoms.

East Japan city, others collaborate to develop dementia prevention AI service for elderly - The Mainichi

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- This east Japan city has announced plans to develop a dementia prevention service using conversational generative artificial int

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Starley Inc.

Starley Co., Ltd. develops AI-related products.

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[salyavin]

Why don't they talk to each other via smartphone?

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Not sure about other older people , but I hate the new phones. About a year ago , TracFone made me get a new Samsung cell. I think in the past year , I've turned it on twice and have yet to make a call on it. Probably a few older people out there who feel the same.

 

[salyavin]

I think yoru hesitancy to smartphones is fine as people do indeed seem almost addicted to them to an unhealthy degree.
This program is for elderly to use smartphones to talk to AI.
"access the system via smartphones or tablet devices to engage in conversation with the AI."
My queation was rather than talking to a program how about they talk to each other. You are communicating with humans over the internet

 

[thomas]

My queation was rather than talking to a program how about they talk to each other. You are communicating with humans over the internet

I guess it's technically more straightforward and less labour-intensive to have them push a button and individually connect to an AI app than to arrange an online chat between two participants at the brink of dementia.

Of course, principally, you are right.

 

[salyavin]

Not sure about other older people , but I hate the new phones. About a year ago , TracFone made me get a new Samsung cell. I think in the past year , I've turned it on twice and have yet to make a call on it. Probably a few older people out there who feel the same. View attachment 118517