Ethics of Care and Robot Caregivers

Recently there has been a surge of interest in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and its possible developments and applications. Some of them are related to healthcare devices and medical equipment, that can assist physicians in improving their diagnostic skills. Others are conceived to be used in a particular branch of robotics. Until recently, human beings have been applying technological instruments and devices in what we could define as a “passive” aid mode: artefacts being used by human subjects to affect other humans. Recent development of a specific kind of robot designed to take care of chronically ill patients and/or elderly people are challenging previous ideas of caregiving, since these new technological devices can be designed to act autonomously. This development opens an entirely new area of bioethical analysis and the possibility of a transition to a post-human dimension of caregiving. This transition might impact directly the meaning of caring for aging humans and chronically ill patients. This paper will explore new ways of caring for human beings using robotic caregivers in light of ethical problems/questions of respect for human dignity and the feelings of vulnerable people – particularly the elderly – and conclude with a sketch of a proposal concerning their appropriate use in the future of healthcare