Robo-Care: Is Automation the Future of Child Care?
Automation is poised to take jobs away from people. Child care may not be protected from this wave of AI and smart machines.
A rather alarmist CBC headline appeared on my newsfeed last week:
Ottawa warned about job losses that could stem from automation
The first thing that popped in my head was the idea of automating child care.
It may sound odd at first but given the emergence of self-driving cars, pizza-making robots, and libraries without librarians, we may be going towards a future where our precious little ones will be taken care of hardware and software.
The CBC article talked about the potential loss of jobs in the coming years but the phenomenon of technological unemployment has been happening since the invention of the wheel. The simple jobs are are the first go and the more complex ones are the likely the last.
But what about child care and early childhood education? Isn’t that a profession that relies on the warmth of human touch and not the feeling-less grasp of a machine with artificial intelligence?
It’s already happening (sort of)
You have to look at Japan and how they are attempting to solve their child care shortage: with the help of a care-droid named Or-B.
Unlike human day care staff, the Or-B don’t suffer from mental or physical fatigue. They’ll never tire of repeating the same stories and performing the same daily tasks.
That quote came from the team leader of the creators of Or-B, Mokoto Hara. But feel free to replace “day care staff” with any position and “Or-B” with the replacement automation, and that statement will still be valid and highlight the strengths of automation and AI.
You might be thinking, “But that’s Japan! The Japanese have always been on the forefront of autonomous machines!”
Here’s another case in point: In China, a robot called iPal have been tested and its creator claimed that it had been getting positive responses. It is a robot companion that could keep children aged three to eight occupied for hours without adult supervision. Its maker has indicated that they will make it available in the US soon. Will North American parents and society be open to the child-caring machines to do story time?
Artificial Intelligence feels artificial.. for now
As a parent to a preschooler and a toddler, I imagine that I would be hesitant to rely on machines to take care of my children 100%. I have yet to see AI that can approximate compassion and robotic dexterity to do a diaper change.
Even noted scholars have aired their concerns on robots that mind children. Noel Sharkey, an expert in robotics and artificial intelligence at the University of Sheffield, had said that “there are significant dangers in having robots mind our children. They do not have the sensitivity or understanding needed for childcare.”
If you’re a parent and have tried to feed a one year-old, you know you have to have great hand-eye coordination, anticipation, and influencing skills to get the job done. I know robots can play ping-pong, but feeding a toddler it isn’t
Simply put, we’re not yet “The Jetsons”-level yet of AI and robotics sophistication.
Baby Steps
But it’s not to say that technology does not have place in child care settings. Technology can be used as educational aids, administrative assistants, and business tools by child care providers and Early Childhood Educators.
Feel free to share your thoughs in the comments. If you are a parent, how much would you trust technology?
