Your question is well-timed, Pascal, because I imagine that there are probably a hundred startups working on chatbots for the elderly. Your phrasing implies that there is no substitute for actual human contact, and of course you are correct. Ideally, our waning years should be spent nestled in a web of loving companionship from friends and relatives. But the reality is that millions of seniors spend the last years of their life in nursing homes with minimal contact. It’s reasonable to ask if technology can make those people feel like they have engaging companionship. We’re certainly close to chatbots that can emulate a human caretaker, or even something that appears like a friend. If the choice is between that and a television set running some cable channel from hell, it would be cruel to deny someone a witty LLM that knows their favorite subjects and will uncomplainingly listen and respond to a recounting of lovely memories and rambling anecdotes without a point.

But I have a higher hope. Maybe advanced AI can make discoveries in medicine that keep people healthier late in life. That might allow people to remain active for longer, cutting down the time spent in isolated nursing homes and institutions. Of course that doesn’t address the shameful lack of attention we pay to our elders. To quote the late John Prine, “Old people just grow lonesome, waiting for someone to say, Hello in there, hello.” I guess a chatbot saying that is better than nothing.

You can submit questions to mail@wired.com. Write ASK LEVY in the subject line.

Residents and tourists flee into the ocean as Maui goes up in flames.

I spent a Wednesday in the Park with Grimes, talking AI, Mars, NFTs, her upcoming Transhumanism for Babies, LSD, and you-know-who.

It turns out that an Intel chip had a vulnerability that compromises privacy for millions. What else do you expect from a chip called Downfall?