How Will Artificial Intelligence Help the Aging?

The relationship between humans and robots is a tricky thing. If the latter looks too much like the former, but is still clearly a machine, people think it's creepy, even repulsive--a feeling that's become known as the "uncanny valley." Or, as is sometimes the case, the human, with "Star Wars" or "The Jetsons" as his or her reference points, is disappointed by all the things the robot can't yet do. Then, there is the matter of job insecurity--the fear of one day being replaced by a tireless, unflappable, unfailingly consistent device. Human-robot interactions can be even more complicated for one group in particular--older adults.