Storytelling AI to improve wellbeing of people with dementia

An artificial intelligence (AI) companion for people with dementia is being developed in research involving the University of Strathclyde. The technology will aid memory recollection, boost confidence and combat depression in people living with Alzheimer's Disease and other types of dementia. Memory loss in people with Alzheimer's Disease occurs in reverse chronological order, with pockets of long-term memory remaining accessible even as the disease progresses. While most current rehabilitative care methods focus on physical aids and repetitive reminding techniques, the new project, named AMPER (Agent-based Memory Prosthesis to Encourage Reminiscing) will take an AI-driven, user-centred approach and will focus on personalised storytelling to help bring a patient's memories back to the surface. The research team is led at Heriot-Watt University and the National Robotarium, a partnership between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh.