Improving Care for Older Adults

In Their Own Words

The Role of AI in Dementia Care

LDI Expert Explores Its Promise but Urges Caution in STAT News Column

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An illustration of a person and a robot

This essay originally appeared in STAT News on July 8, 2026 as part of the Neurotransmissions column.

After Doug met Jane, he felt good. So too did Gabriella, his wife. Doug — a retired minister and writer — needed someone to talk to, and in conversation about his many accomplishments, Jane was indefatigable. For at least a few hours, Doug’s boredom vanished, and Gabriella no longer felt like an activities director on a cruise ship.

I wrote about Doug and Gabriella in my May Neurotransmissions column about ambiguous loss. Doug told me he was “bored, bored, bored,” and Gabriella said she struggled to find activities to relieve that boredom.

Jane was a solution. What she gave to Doug didn’t simply pass the time. It was a meaningful relationship. Except Jane wasn’t a person. She was an artificial intelligence chatbot.

Their story is a vivid example of AI’s alluring promise for people living with dementia.

Read the full essay here.

Author

Jason Karlawish

Jason Karlawish, MD

Professor, Medicine and Professor, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine; Co-Director, Penn Memory Center

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