Can AI Fix Our Care Crisis?

Join us for a discussion on the impact of technology in UK care services.

Technology is often seen as a simple fix for issues like staff shortages and care quality, but there’s more to the story.

We’ll share real-life insights from care sector experts and home care providers, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of using digital tools in caregiving. Our panellists will also consider how AI robots are changing the future of care, and what this means for our society as a whole.

Panellists

Dr. Kate Hamblin (chair)

A Research Fellow at the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE), University of Sheffield. Kate’s research has focused on technology and its role in care systems in the UK and further afield. She has explored experiences of technology-enabled care services for people with cognitive impairment, dual sensory impairment, and unpaid carers.

Emily Kenway

A researcher and writer focused on social care. With a decade in social justice, she’s campaigned for living wages and against worker exploitation. Her latest book, Who Cares: The Hidden Crisis of Caregiving and How We Solve It, launched in 2023. Her work appears in The Guardian, Independent and she frequently speaks on major news channels.

Alex Jones 

Team Lead at TLC Care, is a graduate member of both the British Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association. With four years of experience in health and social care, he has applied his psychological expertise to improve patient outcomes and team performance. His forward-thinking vision focuses on integrating psychology and AI to enhance patient care and streamline processes, positioning him to make a significant impact in the sector.

Dr. Henry Taylor

Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, Dr. Henry Taylor conducts research at the intersection of philosophy and STEM, focusing on cultural robotics. His work explores key questions: Can robots be designed to adapt their behavior based on the cultural preferences of the humans they interact with? Should they? And what does 'culture' mean in the context of robotics? Through these inquiries, Henry examines the ethical and conceptual implications of integrating culture into AI and robotic systems.

This event is presented in partnership with ESRC Festival of Social Sciences as part of AI Futures (Feb-Nov 2024), a public programme exploring the brave new world of artificial intelligence through the lens of University of Birmingham research.