By Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D.
“We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.”
– Marshall McLuhan
The year is 2040. I am now living in a retirement community. Technology has advanced so much that the building’s computer system tracks everything I do. I wake up in the morning; the computer notes the time and the quality of my sleep. I go to the bathroom and my output is measured. I walk down to the dining room for breakfast and the sensors log my input – how much liquid and how many calories. Estimates are taken for the level of each macronutrient and micronutrient.
After breakfast, the sensors measure my steps and my whereabouts. Late morning, a nurse approaches and inquires about my well-being. I say I feel off but am not sure why. The nurse notes that the building computer flagged me since I did not sleep well and my water intake was very low. I am sent for testing and sure enough, I have a urinary tract infection. I get the appropriate medications before I even knew what was going on.
Although this seems futuristic, we already wear bracelets and rings that track our sleep, take our blood pressure, and pulse, and wear sensors that monitor our blood sugar. The major difference in this scenario is that the equipment is built into the design of the building.
I am sure that several readers are instantly repulsed by the thought of a building that is tracking their every move, but I will remind you that all tools require some level of adaptation, and AI (artificial intelligence) is no different. The first human to use a sharp piece of metal to cut a log could not have foreseen the number of people who cut themselves and would have recoiled in horror that their beloved tool could be used to kill someone. But the tool is seldom the problem. The problem lies in how people use it and regulate it. Most people who are worried about being tracked are probably relieved if there are guard rails in place like asking permission for the building sensors to track the data.
My colleagues and I recently attended a conference on AI and its use in the senior housing industry. There were moments of excitement – AI can quickly synthesize so much data, and use cases are everywhere. But there were moments of dread. My youngest colleague in particular felt like we were already so far behind and there was so much work to be done.
I reminded him that we did not have to do everything today. Some work might wait, and some work may stay undone until further generations decide to try something new. He pushed back because he is in the younger generation, but I noted, every new generation brings new ideas and ways to develop a tool to suit the needs better. It is okay to wait for some of this.
The sharpened metal that was used to cut logs? Recent generations developed pretty good guards to protect the fingers of people using it. Some even have sensors now that shut the saw off if something is in the way. Our generation has already solved some problems from the past, and our children and grandchildren will have ideas and skills we will need to adapt to AI further.
We are all standing on the shoulders of giants, one generation on top of the other.
Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D. is the executive director of Colony Retirement Homes. She can be reached at 508-755-0444 or [email protected] and www.colonyretirementhomes.com.
RELATED CONTENT:
