Paper short abstract:

Drawing on the case of Japan and on 30 interviews with stakeholders, this paper interrogates how those engaged in developing and using AI and robotic applications in health and social care characterise the future promise, potential and challenges of using these technologies.

Paper long abstract:

Socially assistive robotics (SAR) finds application in healthcare and therapy, where so-called 'social robots' are often targeted to older adults (Broadbent et al. 2009) and children and adults affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Scassellati et al. 2012; Pop et al. 2013). These machines are aimed to provide social, emotional and cognitive as well as physical rehabilitation (Lara et al. 2017); encourage healthier life-styles (Kidd & Breazeal 2007); remind people to take their medications (Pineau et al. 2003); allow tele-medicine support for users living in remote areas (Robinson et al. 2014); provide companionship and stimulate human-robot interactions as well as interactions between residents of care homes to reduce feelings of loneliness (Wada & Shibata 2007). Over the past two decades, zoomorphic robots like Paro (a robotic baby seal) and humanoid robots like Softbank's Pepper have found application not only in Japan but also elsewhere, including the US and Europe. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic gave further momentum to the 'AI hype', driving the development and adaptation of AI and robotic innovations in health and social care (Jecker 2020). In June 2020, Aymerich-Franch (2020), editor of Nature Machine Intelligence, commented: "With physical distancing and isolation measures deemed critical to slow the spread of COVID-19, social robots have finally found an opportunity to demonstrate their real value in society." Drawing on the case of Japan - which is the leading country in the production of SAR - and on 30 interviews with stakeholders based in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand, this paper interrogates how those engaged in developing and using AI and robotic applications in health and social care characterise the future promise, potential and challenges of using these technologies. It explores, in particular, the complex ways in which these professionals articulate and navigate a range of high and low expectations and promissory and cautionary future visions around AI and robotic technologies to construct their own perceptions of (socially and ethically) 'acceptable futures' for these technologies in health and social care contexts.