Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Long-Term Care? Ageing and Sociotechnical Scripts of AI Companies

Ageing and healthcare policies are increasingly shaped by technological advancements, influencing care institutions and practices. The implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in long-term care settings, from companion robots to chatbots, has gained attention, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic issues such as staffing shortages. In Australia, a Royal Commission into the sector urged investment in emerging technologies to address care deficiencies for older people (aged 65+) living in nursing homes (‘institutionalised ageing’) or independently in the community (‘ageing in place’).

Long-term care has attracted significant interest from technologists due to its market potential. However, technologies developed for older people often reinforce stereotypes, portraying them as passive and digitally unskilled. It is thus crucial to examine how AI might perpetuate these views, undermining efforts to ensure dignified later-life care.

This study draws on sociologist Madeleine Akrich’s concept of ‘user representations’ to explore sociotechnical narratives of AI-based care for later life. For Akrich, the imaginary of the user is inscribed into the technology, originating ‘scripts’ or ‘scenarios’ of use. This can, in turn, reveal how ageing and care discourses unfold and become scripted.

To explore such discourses, we analysed 35 companies developing and commercialising AI technologies for the long-term care sector – for both institutionalised ageing and ageing-in-place. Through a visual and textual thematic analysis of their websites, combined with a semiotic perspective, we found four key themes: the carefication of ageing, public inefficiencies, AI solutionism, and the datafication of care. Older people were usually depicted as passive data sources, while care staff were portrayed as inefficient. AI was positioned as the solution to all care challenges, from medical diagnoses to healthcare management. We conclude by reflecting on how these narratives shape perceptions of ageing and care, raising critical questions about AI’s role and the future of human-centred care.