Will AI Help Us Age Well?

By Karen and Erica

AI is here. It is a part of our world. We should welcome it, with the caveat that we must work to understand AI.

And–we have been warned that we retirees might be paying a price for it. A recent Wall Street Journal article asks: Who Will Pay for The AI Revolution? The answer: Retirees.

Tech companies are facing an enormous investment need that will outstrip even their considerable existing resources. Morgan Stanley analysts in July estimated that of the roughly $3 trillion that is expected in global data-center capital expenditures through 2028, only about half of that could be funded by projected cash flows. That would leave a roughly $1.5 trillion financing gap.

If we’re going to pay for AI, we should surely make use of it.

How might artificial intelligence help us as we age? It turns out, in any number of ways. Indeed, we hope we will benefit from the AI revolution–as we have benefitted often before from scientific or technical progress. The public health advances in the 1950s gave us decades of new of healthy longevity. The invention of birth control gave new options to women in the 1960s. The speedy creation of a COVID vaccine in the 2020s saved our lives. And these are only a few examples. 

We think AI has the possibility of jump-starting many more.

First of all, the use of AI may support drug and medical advances that will perhaps mitigate some of the current aspects of aging. 

AI has long been seen as helpful in the medical arena.

In 1950, Alan Turing used computers to simulate intelligent behavior and critical thinking, marking the earliest use of AI in health care. By the early 2000s, AI allowed health care workers to screen patients with great accuracy for diseases ranging from diabetic retinopathy to skin cancer. Over several decades, AI research has evolved within the health care landscape. Currently, the FDA has more than 900 AI and machine learning-enabled medical devices approved for use. (Footnotes omitted.)

Since Alan Turing’s time, AI has become ever more sophisticated, and powerful. 

Drug discovery, the process of identifying and developing new medications, is a complex and time-consuming endeavor that traditionally relies on labor-intensive techniques, such as trial-and-error experimentation and high-throughput screening. However, AI techniques such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing offer the potential to accelerate and improve this process by enabling more efficient and accurate analysis of large amounts of data. The successful use of deep learning (DL) to predict the efficacy of drug compounds with high accuracy has been described recently by the authors of [several papers].. AI-based methods have also been able to predict the toxicity of drug candidates  These and other research efforts have highlighted the capacity of AI to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of drug discovery processes. [Footnotes omitted.]

As one example, the use of AI has allowed researchers to see the efficacy of drugs across different applications. (We have all seen that GLP1 drugs apparently cure everything!) In that context, the Scripps Institute’s use of AI has resulted in possible breakthrough applications.

The group used a type of AI tool known as a machine learning network. They gave the network access to previous studies on C. elegans’ longevity, as well as databases of known drug mechanisms. They focused on drugs known to target specific proteins—dopamine, serotonin and histamine receptors—linked to aging processes. The model then identified existing drugs that it predicted to act on all three targets simultaneously.

When the researchers tested 22 of the compounds identified by the model in worms, 16 of them extended lifespan. One, a novel compound not currently in clinical use, increased the lifespan of C. elegans by 74%. Several FDA-approved drugs, including two antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia, also performed especially well.

Second, there are technical advances powered by AI. We know now that hearing loss is not just annoying, it can increase the risk of developing dementia. But we intensely dislike wearing hearing aids. So we are delighted we can now get eye glasses with embedded microphones. Brilliant.

Nuance Audio offers eyewear that assists those with mild to moderate hearing loss with innovative technology that is built-in to a pair of smart glasses. The Nuance Audio glasses have a mic in the front of the frames to identify and target the person you’re talking to—rather than amplify all the sound of the entire room—and then provide an open ear speaker in the arm of the glasses for the wearer to hear the conversations.  It also reduces the sound of your own voice. 

We’re a little less sure about Ryan–though we suspect robots will play an increasing role in our future, as they have in Japan, for decades, as that country deals with an aging population.

The DreamFace Robot, more familiarly known by the name “Ryan,” is designed to provide social interactions with older adults, to reduce the workload of caregivers.  Ryan can engage in conversation, play games, and assist individuals with physical exercise support.  Daily interactions with Ryan can help with enhanced memory and cognitive support and is another possible “tool” for future planning for aging in the home. 

Do we want a robot to make us exercise? Maybe we do! And apparently women, especially, are comfortable with AI companionship in many ways.

More recently, GenAI (Generative AI), offers a more intuitive AI technology that brings additional benefits to older adults. The GenAI technology can provide added personalization when using technology devices, a critical component to assist in addressing feelings of isolation and loneliness.  For women confronting feelings of social isolation, for example, the GenAI technology provides much-needed support with these challenges as well. Companionship can be provided in the form of virtual assistants or chatbots, and these companions can engage in conversations, play games, or provide information, helping to ease feelings of loneliness and boredom.   

We do not, however, expect to be involved in an emotional relationship with a bot such that we end up in divorce court! And we do want to be mindful that immersing ourselves online can be dangerous. All things, especially digital things, in moderation.

Finally, the freedom to travel is a part of aging, in our view. We’re psyched about Apple’s new translate function. And apparently there are AI powered apps for travel planning–we haven’t tried any yet.

Obviously, these are just a couple of tiny suggestions of the possible role of AI in our future, but they have made us think.

Please, let us all know in the comments if you have had experiences, good or bad, with products that have been enhanced by AI–like driverless cars–that might change the aging experience. We would be so interested in hearing from you.