AGI Perspective on High-Quality Development of Elderly Care Services

Ding Yuanzhu

[Abstract] This article analyzes various issues faced by elderly care services in China from the perspectives of sociology, social security, and artificial intelligence technology development, proposing data, models, and computational power concepts for the development of general artificial intelligence (AGI) robots. Against the backdrop of rapid development in artificial intelligence technology, this article aims to inspire responsible scientists and technologists to develop AGI that can assist elderly people based on the actual needs of elderly care services in China. The article also aims to help them consider how to build data systems and computational facilities compatible with AGI robot development to leverage artificial intelligence technology to address the challenges faced by the elderly care sector in China currently and in the near future. Furthermore, this article hopes to bridge the connection and cooperation between the construction of social security systems and artificial intelligence technology, as well as between the disciplines of social security and artificial intelligence.

[Keywords] High-Quality Elderly Care Services; AGI Robots; Technical Pathways

1. Introduction: The Call for High-Quality Development of Elderly Care Services and AGI RobotsAGI Robots

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “the rapid development of emerging technologies represented by information technology and artificial intelligence has greatly expanded the scope of time, space, and human cognition. Humanity is entering an era of intelligent interconnection among ‘humans, machines, and objects.'” Since early 2023, due to the rapid iteration and disruptive development of artificial intelligence technology, media, scholars, and the elderly have expressed eager expectations for artificial intelligence robots serving the elderly population, making various anticipations. Humanity stands at the beginning of the general artificial intelligence revolution.

The era of AGI robots is just around the corner; machines can generate text and create images, which means they will inevitably produce actions. Once machines master the generation of actions, they may gain insight into the intentions behind these actions, producing universal forms of expression. In fact, there is still a long way to go for artificial intelligence robots that can truly serve the elderly population, especially general artificial intelligence (AGI). However, it is necessary to conduct forward-looking research on this issue to prepare the technology and social environment for the arrival of the age of age-friendly general artificial intelligence.

On March 5, 2024, Premier Li Qiang made specific deployments in the “Government Work Report,” stating, “We should moderately advance the construction of digital infrastructure, accelerate the formation of a nationwide integrated computing power system, and cultivate a computing power industry ecosystem. We need to empower economic development, enrich people’s lives, and enhance the modernization of social governance through extensive and profound digital transformation.”

AGI, also known as multimodal AI, refers to artificial general intelligence, which is an AI tool that thinks, learns, and performs tasks like a human. It differs from specialized artificial intelligence, such as language recognition, image processing, and natural language processing systems, as it acquires information from different sources, conducts machine learning, reasons, and makes decisions like humans, demonstrating characteristics of generality, flexibility, and adaptability, capable of performing tasks in various environments and forming a comprehensive intelligent system.

Since the end of 2022, especially since early 2023, with the development of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the upcoming launch of Sora in 2024, artificial intelligence technology with natural language processing and image processing capabilities has rapidly developed and iterated, leading to the expectation that AGI robots will soon become comprehensive AI tools serving the elderly. “Now is the time to define our partnership with artificial intelligence and the resulting reality.”

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has increased policy support for scientifically addressing the aging strategy, continuously improving the elderly care service system. The overall scale of elderly care beds has exceeded 8 million, and the state is striving to meet the construction needs of elderly care service institutions and the training of elderly care personnel. According to the strategic deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, all levels of Party committees and governments are working hard to improve various support policies and matching reform measures, weaving a safety net for the livelihoods of the elderly and children, and promoting the healthy development of elderly care and childcare services.

The data from the seventh national population census (hereinafter referred to as the “seventh census”) indicates that the total fertility rate of women of childbearing age in China was 1.3 in 2020, below the total fertility rate warning line of 1.5, and there remains a significant distance from the natural replacement rate of 2.1. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the total population of elderly people aged 60 and above in China will exceed 300 million, accounting for more than 20%, entering a moderately aging stage. By around 2035, the elderly population aged 60 and above in China will exceed 400 million, accounting for more than 30%, entering a severely aging stage. Moreover, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population has increased to 77.93 years. This indicates that China has entered a stage of high aging and low fertility. On one hand, the population is rapidly aging, while on the other hand, there is a decline in birth rates. Addressing the current and future issues of “one old and one young” in China requires exploration and innovation from multiple perspectives, including social insurance and social services, as well as leveraging technological advancements to alleviate the pressure of elderly care. From the perspective of social innovation, a noteworthy phenomenon in 2023 is that young people are beginning to enter the elderly care industry. For example, young people live with the elderly to provide services, and they mutually examine each other’s needs and values, deepening intergenerational understanding. In some regions, elderly care institutions are attempting to establish an “intergenerational integration” model, where young people accumulate elderly care service hours and exchange them for accommodation qualifications or rent deductions, helping the elderly while meeting each other’s needs. Elderly care services require emotional care, especially as the elderly approach the end of life, they need to understand life and death, and the younger generation warmly responds to the elderly’s end-of-life issues. Regarding technological advancements, many accidental factors in history have contributed to the necessity of historical development, and we are currently in such an era. Just as China enters the aging and low fertility stage, the world is entering an era of iterative and disruptive development of artificial intelligence.

In mid-February 2024, OpenAI launched 48 example videos, including highly realistic representations of the real world as well as animated or sci-fi segments, where characters and scenes interact, with clear action trajectories and vivid emotional nuances. Sora, as one of the newly developed AI models, creates realistic, imaginative, multi-character, and thematically rich scenes based on text instructions. This model can not only understand the user’s requests in prompts but also grasp how these elements exist in the physical world. More importantly, it has basically achieved insight and learning about the real world, fundamentally understanding how characters exist in the physical world, and can predict their trajectories. The combination of the “one old and one young” scenario and advancements in intelligent technology may greatly enhance the improvement of China’s elderly care service model.

This article analyzes various issues faced by elderly care services in China from the perspectives of sociology, social security, and artificial intelligence technology development. It hopes to inspire responsible scientists and technologists to develop AGI that can assist elderly people based on the actual needs of elderly care services in China, helping them consider data systems and computational facilities compatible with AGI robot development to leverage artificial intelligence to address the numerous challenges faced by elderly care services in China currently and in the future. At the same time, it also hopes to build bridges of connection and cooperation between the construction of social security systems and artificial intelligence technology, as well as between the disciplines of social security and artificial intelligence, avoiding biases caused by disciplinary boundaries. As American software expert Adam Carley said, “In my lab, there is a group of sociologists. Just listening to them discuss the various issues encountered in sociology and social sciences, we realize that machine learning algorithms might have biases, but we, five individuals—all men—have not deeply experienced gender bias.”

2. Scenarios Describing the Participation of AGI Robots in the High-Quality Development of Elderly Care Services

(1) The Population, Technology, and Elderly Care Services Under the Overlay of Multiple Factors

This introduces the concept of “three overlays” to understand the current elderly service situation in China. The first is “dual pressure overlay,” referring to the continuous increase in the elderly population and the growing pressure on the younger generation to support the older generation, presenting a state of dual pressure overlay. The second is the “aging and AI technology overlay,” indicating that as China enters a moderately aging stage, there is also a global trend of technological revolution centered on artificial intelligence, representing another form of overlay. The third is the “organizational service overlay” elderly care model adopted by the government, which combines family care as the mainstay, community care as a supplement, and institutional care as a complement. Below, we will analyze this scenario to outline the technical innovation scenarios for future elderly care services.

1. “Dual Pressure Overlay”

According to the information released at a press conference by the State Council Information Office on January 17, 2024, “From the age structure, the labor-age population aged 16 to 59 is 864.81 million, accounting for 61.3% of the national population; the population aged 60 and above is 296.97 million, accounting for 21.1% of the national population, of which the population aged 65 and above is 216.76 million, accounting for 15.4% of the national population. The total number of births in the year was 9.02 million, with a birth rate of 6.39‰; the total number of deaths was 11.1 million, with a death rate of 7.87‰; the natural population growth rate was -1.48‰.” Currently, the population aged 0 to 14 is smaller than the elderly population. Another noteworthy phenomenon is that by the end of 2022, among the elderly aged 60 and above in China, around 44 million are disabled or semi-disabled, accounting for about 16.6% of the total elderly population. This means that one in every six elderly individuals cannot live independently. According to the “China Development Report 2023” published by the Development Research Center of the State Council, due to delayed marriage ages, declining willingness to give birth among young people, a decrease in women of childbearing age, and a high infertility rate, China’s birth rate may continue at a low level in the future.

In the face of such a demographic situation, special attention should be paid to the elderly born between 1950 and 1980 or those who are about to age, as well as their children, namely the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s.” The children of those born between 1950 and 1980 are increasingly taking on the responsibility of caring for their aging parents. These young people have various responsibilities in caring for their elderly parents, including financial expenditures, labor contributions, and emotional support. From a care perspective, providing emotional and psychological support is one of the essential contents of elderly care. As parents age, maintaining the mental health of the elderly and enhancing their happiness becomes increasingly important, requiring patience, understanding, and companionship. In rural areas, the younger generation also needs to be responsible for some of the elderly’s economic needs, including medical expenses and daily living costs. As the parents’ generation ages, the younger generation needs to provide support in daily activities and medical care, including chronic disease management, medication procurement, and assistance with mobility. Legally, the younger generation needs to assist in handling the legal, financial, and daily affairs of their aging parents, including reading healthcare information, insurance information, and estate planning. Regarding the challenges faced by the younger generation, they need to balance caregiving needs and work responsibilities. This balancing act can create stress and burnout, especially for those who have to reduce work hours or take unpaid leave to provide care, facing even greater challenges. In terms of economic pressure, the younger generation has to support their aging parents while managing their finances, such as repaying mortgages, raising children, and saving for their health and retirement. The pressures of modern life, including high housing costs and education expenses, complicate the situation of elderly care. In terms of emotional and physical stress, caregiving burdens the younger generation, leading to exhaustion, depression, and other health issues. The emotional stress of parents aging and caregiving demands is highly challenging. In real life, many young people find themselves unprepared for the complexities and difficulties of caring for their parents, including everything from meeting medical needs to navigating complex social services and handling strict legal issues. In the face of elderly individuals with dementia and disabilities, opportunities to access affordable healthcare services, elderly care facilities, and social support networks are limited by various factors, making it difficult for many families to find suitable caregivers, with some lacking sufficient funds. To address these issues, the current solutions and support mechanisms include implementing supportive policies for caregivers, such as tax incentives, elderly care service subsidies, and pension reforms. In terms of work flexibility, employers assist employees in balancing work and caregiving through flexible work arrangements (such as remote work, part-time options, and caregiving leave). In terms of education and resources, providing support on elderly care, financial planning, and legal issues to help family members play their caregiving roles. In terms of community and social services, expanding community and social services for the elderly, such as daycare centers, home health services, and social activities to alleviate family caregiving burdens. Encouraging the strengthening of community support networks to provide emotional and life support for the elderly and their families. In terms of mental health support, providing mental health support for caregivers and the elderly, including counseling services, support groups, and stress management. In summary, the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” face enormous economic, social, and work pressures in caring for their aging parents while receiving strong support from family, community, institutions, employers, and government policies.

2. “Aging and AI Technology Overlay”

In the face of significant aging pressure, developing AGI to alleviate the pressures that may emerge in the future should be one of the choices for achieving social stability and sustained economic growth. Regarding the “one old and one young” issue, special attention should be paid to the current “post-50s,” “post-60s,” and “post-70s” generations, as most of these generations have retired or are about to retire. They are precisely the generations that implemented the one-child policy, and the supply of pension funds, the establishment of elderly care service institutions, and the availability of service personnel directly relate to the quality of life of this generation and the mental and physical health, family life, and work conditions of their children. In other words, it concerns whether the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” can focus on their work and enjoy good family lives. Looking towards 2035 and the modernization of China in the middle of the 21st century, the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” are the core forces that connect the past and the future, driving the country’s and society’s economic development. More importantly, these generations play a core role in China’s modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. They grew up during an unprecedented period of economic growth and rapid social change, which shaped their thoughts, skills, and social roles. Their contributions to national development are diverse and significant, covering technological innovation, cultural prosperity, and social progress. Therefore, the “post-50s,” “post-60s,” “post-70s,” and their children can be defined as a special group in the long river of history, or they are at a crucial historical juncture. The elderly are the main force behind the reform and opening up, while the younger generation is the main force behind China’s modernization. Addressing the elderly care issues of the previous generation and the innovation and entrepreneurship issues of the younger generation requires targeted approaches and policies. Furthermore, the elderly care issues of the “post-50s,” “post-60s,” and “post-70s” and the dedication of their children to serving national construction directly relate to China’s high-quality development and modernization during this period. The living conditions of these two main force groups are crucial for the future of people’s livelihood undertakings. From both historical responsibility and historical mission, it is necessary to deeply understand their roles and the responsibilities and obligations they need to undertake, providing social support for them, and organically combining and harmoniously advancing both aspects to alleviate the contradictions and issues during this special historical period, promoting a steady and far-reaching path for China’s modernization.

Here, it is further noted that the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” are at the forefront of China’s technological innovation and digital economy. They grew up during the internet boom, adept at leveraging technology, and are playing a key role in pushing China to become a global technology leader. They are exerting tremendous creativity in areas such as artificial intelligence, e-commerce, fintech, and renewable energy, working hard to make China a leader in the global high-tech industry. Their entrepreneurial spirit has driven the rise of many competitive tech giants and startups on the global stage. The younger generation is also a participant in the modernization of Chinese culture. They are creating a new Chinese culture and civilization, combining traditional elements with modern and global influences, evident in music, film, literature, and fashion. Through social media and other platforms, they share Chinese culture with the world, enhancing China’s soft power. Their creativity in the cultural industry revitalizes traditional arts and crafts, expanding the boundaries of contemporary art and media. As active participants in China’s economy, society, culture, and technology, the “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” are contributing to the ongoing growth of China’s economy. They advocate and implement sustainable business practices, contributing to China’s green development goals. They promote fairness, environmental protection, and governance reforms to assist the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, actively participating in social entrepreneurship to address social issues and contributing to the welfare of vulnerable groups, reflecting their more inclusive attitude towards national development. The “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and some “post-00s” have more opportunities for higher education, including studying abroad, bringing broad global perspectives and professional knowledge to national development, serving as a cultural and economic bridge between China and the world, promoting international cooperation, innovation, and exchange. Their international perspective and educational background are crucial for China’s integration into the international community and achieving the goals of modernization with Chinese characteristics and national rejuvenation. Despite facing challenges such as economic pressure, job market competitiveness, and social change, these generations have tremendous adaptability, participating in transformation and upgrading with their creativity and flexibility to meet the expectations of rapid development and society. In summary, those born between 1950 and 1980 and their descendants play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the country. Their contributions, through their impact on technology, culture, economy, society, and the global stage, influence China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The innovative spirit, global connectivity, and sense of social responsibility of these generations will be key driving forces for China’s development transformation, requiring close attention to their living and working conditions.

3. “Organizational Service Overlay”

The Party Central Committee has proposed a series of measures to address the aging challenges faced by the country, including policy reforms, community support, technological innovation, and family participation. Given China’s unique national conditions, the state encourages active participation and coordinated cooperation among families, communities, and institutions. From the perspective of healthcare needs, the main issues faced by the elderly are the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the growing demand for long-term care, which pose a series of challenges for the current healthcare system in meeting the medical service needs of the elderly, with potential discrepancies in accessibility and quality. Currently, solutions to these issues include expanding healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural areas, increasing the number of healthcare service personnel providing elderly care training, and promoting healthy lifestyles to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Regarding the pressure on the pension system, population aging places a heavy burden on pensions, and the reduction in the workforce poses challenges for supporting the increasing number of retirees. The main current solutions include diversifying pension fund investments, exploring sustainable financing models, ensuring pension sustainability, promoting private savings, improving retirement planning, and gradually raising the retirement age. Regarding loneliness and social isolation, the main issue currently is that the elderly feel lonely and socially isolated due to living alone, losing family and friends, or being distanced from children who have moved away for work. Current solutions include building community centers to provide social, recreational, and educational activities for the elderly, offering elderly dining services, utilizing internet technology to maintain contact with family and friends, providing comprehensive social services, and implementing volunteer programs that connect young and elderly individuals to encourage intergenerational support. In terms of housing and accessibility facilities, many elderly individuals face challenges with unsuitable living environments that do not meet their needs, including a lack of accessible safety features, which affects their independence and quality of life. Current solutions include promoting the development of accessible facilities, constructing elderly-friendly homes with safe designs, and renovating existing housing conditions, such as adding elevators, to meet the needs of the elderly. Addressing the living needs of the aging population requires multifaceted approaches involving policy innovation, social change, and leveraging technology to create a supportive ecosystem for the elderly. Governments, enterprises, social organizations, communities, and families need to work together to ensure that the aging population can enjoy a high-quality life, access sufficient healthcare, financial security, and social life. Cultivating a societal attitude that values and respects the elderly is crucial for their well-being and the overall health of society. In response to the aforementioned issues, according to the requirements of the “Notice on Issuing the Task Division Plan for Implementing the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Strengthening Aging Work in the New Era,” home-based, community, and institutional elderly care will become the basic model for elderly care in the new development stage of China, “innovating the model of home and community elderly care service institutions or personnel. Based on home elderly care, enhance the capabilities of community elderly care service institutions or personnel through new construction, renovation, or leasing, focusing on developing a network of elderly care service institutions or personnel at both the street (township) and urban-rural community levels, relying on community development to establish diversified elderly care service institutions or personnel based on home care.”

The three overlays discussed above—”dual pressure overlay,” “aging and AI technology overlay,” and “organizational service overlay”—outline the basic scenarios of elderly care services in China and provide design ideas for the application and implementation of artificial intelligence technology in the field of elderly care services.

(2) The Role of AGI Technology in the High-Quality Elderly Care Service System

With the changes in the technology field and policymakers continuously evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce and society as a whole, the strategies and measures taken by the government will also continue to follow suit. What role can artificial intelligence play in a society facing declining birth rates? Can it help people overcome the challenges brought by declining birth rates and ensure healthy social development? Can China leverage large-scale development of artificial intelligence to address the aging issues brought about by population decline? The answer is affirmative.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can demonstrate various roles in a society facing declining birth rates. In terms of elderly care and support, AI-driven robots and assistive technologies can provide support to the elderly, assist them in their daily lives, monitor their health conditions, and offer companionship. The involvement of AI can alleviate the burdens on family members and caregivers, enhancing the independence of the elderly population. In healthcare and medical diagnostics, AI can assist in medical diagnosis, drug development, and provide personalized healthcare plans, helping healthcare personnel effectively manage the healthcare needs of the elderly population. In labor automation, as the workforce diminishes, AI can help the elderly handle repetitive tasks in daily life, compensating for the difficulties brought about by labor shortages. In education and training, AI-driven personalized learning platforms can help train and improve the skills of caregivers in the elderly care sector, cultivating a skilled and adaptable workforce for elderly care. In social interaction and companionship, AI-driven social robots can provide companionship for the elderly, alleviating social isolation and loneliness. Currently, the Japanese government and private sector are investing in artificial intelligence and robotics technology to address the challenges brought by aging and declining birth rates, including developing elderly care robots, utilizing AI in medical diagnostics, and exploring various services of AI in nursing homes and hospitals. Learning from other countries can yield benefits. Chinese authorities have systematically promoted the development and utilization of artificial intelligence and technology to address various future challenges.

The challenges brought about by population aging and declining birth rates are common issues faced by China and many other countries.

AGI robots can execute various tasks and provide assistance to the elderly through different interaction modes (e.g., natural language processing, image processing, touch, and gestures), providing valuable solutions to some of the demands and challenges associated with an aging society. In terms of daily life assistance, AGI robots can provide help with cooking, cleaning, and personal care. For the elderly, especially those living independently, AGI robots can perform daily tasks that become increasingly difficult with age, improving their quality of life. With the support of AGI robots, elderly individuals can maintain their independence and ability to live alone for a longer period. In healthcare and medication management, AGI robots can play an important role in healthcare, from monitoring vital signs to reminding the elderly to take their medications, utilizing integrated sensors and data analysis to detect health issues early, alerting caregivers or medical professionals, and reducing hospital visits and healthcare costs. In social interaction and companionship, AGI robots can provide companionship and engage in basic conversations, play games, and facilitate video calls with family and friends, reducing feelings of loneliness and maintaining mental health. In terms of mobility and physical support, robots can assist elderly individuals with limited mobility in moving around their homes or public places, enhancing their independence. In terms of safety monitoring, AGI robots equipped with the ability to monitor environments and identify emergencies (such as falls) can alert caregivers or emergency services in the event of an accident or health emergency, ensuring the safety of the elderly. In terms of adaptability and personalization, AGI robots can be programmed and adjusted to meet the personalized needs of the elderly, providing support in a more effective manner based on the types of assistance provided and the interaction methods used. By playing a caregiving role, AGI robots can alleviate the pressure on the healthcare system, reduce the burden on family members and professional caregivers, lower healthcare costs, and allow more individuals to focus on participating in modernization, generating more significant socioeconomic benefits.

Despite the apparent benefits of AGI robots, numerous challenges need to be considered, including the costs of AGI robot systems, technical support and maintenance requirements, ethical standards for privacy and autonomy, and how AGI robots can possess human-like touches and empathy.

3. AGI Large Models Adapted to High-Quality Elderly Care Service Needs

(1) Technical Performance of AGI Robots in High-Quality Elderly Care Services

One of the characteristics of high-quality elderly services is simultaneously enhancing the material and spiritual quality of life for the elderly. In reality, some elderly individuals live with their children, but due to their busy work schedules, there is little communication; others are far from their children or have no children. The introduction of AGI robots into the lives of the elderly, allowing them to communicate with multimodal robots, is a desperate choice. The design standards for AGI robots require them to understand the elderly, comprehend their mental states, and be able to read emotions, forming communication and caregiving methods suitable for the needs of the elderly. The “Notice of the State Council on Printing and Distributing the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Aging Undertakings and the Elderly Care Service System” (Guo Fa [2021] No. 35) mandates, “Continuously promote the aging-friendly transformation of internet websites and mobile internet applications, optimizing interface interaction, content reading, operational prompts, voice assistance, and other functions, encouraging enterprises to provide relevant applications’ ‘caring mode’ and ‘elderly mode,’ incorporating accessibility transformation into daily updates and maintenance. Support terminal equipment manufacturers, application product providers, and elderly care service institutions or personnel to work together to promote the connection of upstream and downstream functions. Driven by market forces, a batch of intelligent technology aging-friendly transformation standards should be introduced. Organize and carry out education and training for the elderly in using smart technology through experiential learning, trial applications, experience exchanges, and mutual assistance, guiding the elderly to understand new things, experience new technologies, and utilize new techniques.” When compiling the “14th Five-Year Plan for Elderly Care Services,” artificial intelligence had not yet formed the rapidly developing situation it has today. Currently, it is timely to research and develop AGI, and it is essential to include artificial intelligence technology in the agenda of elderly care services.

When designing AGI robots, various factors need to be considered. First, ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and user-friendliness of the robots is paramount. In the past, regarding usability, the interface, control, and interaction requirements of the robots needed to be intuitive and easy for the elderly to understand and operate, even if they are not technologically savvy. AGI is a robot with natural language processing capabilities that can be operated directly through language dialogue. Additionally, AGI also possesses image recognition capabilities and other cognitive functions, allowing for convenient communication and interaction with the elderly. For the elderly, safety is the most important aspect. Robots must be equipped with sensors and algorithms to detect and avoid obstacles, prevent falls, and navigate within the home without causing harm to users or themselves. In terms of physical design, AGI robots should be ergonomically designed, considering the physical limitations and mobility issues that the elderly may face. Robots should be designed in a humanoid manner (also referred to as “humanoid robots”), lightweight, and easy to manipulate. Loneliness and social isolation are common social issues among the elderly and are of general concern. The designed AGI robots should be capable of friendly conversations, providing companionship and facilitating communication with loved ones. Conversational artificial intelligence can provide social interaction for elderly individuals living alone, reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness. In the future, VisionPro+Sora will greatly enhance the social living conditions of the elderly.

AGI robots can provide companionship through engaging and meaningful conversations, share news, play games, and even tell stories. Artificial intelligence technology can be designed to recognize emotional distress or emotional changes, providing comforting words, conducting uplifting activities, or reminding caregivers to pay attention to any abnormalities that may arise with the elderly. In terms of medication management, robots can remind users to take their medications, dispense medications at the required times, and communicate with healthcare providers or family doctors regarding any issues encountered with medication. AGI robots can assist in managing care plans, sending appointment reminders, and sharing updates with family members, helping coordinate care among multiple caregivers. By addressing daily issues and interactions, AGI robots can provide caregivers with much-needed breaks, reducing caregiver burnout and stress. AGI robots help the elderly manage their daily schedules, reminding them of social activities and family gatherings, and providing memory support. AGI robots can provide quick and convenient access to information, answer questions, read news, provide weather updates, and even offer entertainment options without the need for complex gadgets or interfaces. By playing a role in health monitoring, AGI robots can link the elderly’s various health check-ups, outpatient visits, and treatment records, designing their health monitoring functions, such as measuring vital signs or detecting normal and abnormal movement patterns, alerting caregivers, medical professionals, and family members in a timely manner while reminding the elderly. Conversational AI can remind the elderly to take their medications at designated times, reducing the risk of missed doses, and helping manage health conditions effectively. AI chatbots can conduct preliminary health checks, offer suggestions for minor health issues, and recommend timely professional medical assistance, promoting early detection and intervention of health problems.

AGI robots can propose healthy dietary plans and simple exercise routines based on individual health conditions and physical abilities, continuously fostering healthier lifestyles. In this sense, AGI robots should have emergency response capabilities, dialing emergency numbers when elderly individuals experience accidents, falls, or health emergencies. The emergency alert system of AGI robots, including voice control, is crucial; even if the elderly cannot make a call, they can seek help. They can directly notify designated contacts or emergency services. AGI robots are equipped with sensors to detect falls or unusual inactivity, automatically sending alerts to family members or caregivers. Here, it is important to emphasize that given the private nature of interacting with AGI robots in a home environment and the confidentiality of the elderly’s medical records and health status, strong privacy protection measures must be established and improved to safeguard sensitive information and uphold user rights. Considering that each elderly person has unique needs and preferences, designing customizable AGI robots allows users to adjust settings according to their circumstances and install preferences, enabling personalized interactions between the elderly and AGI robots to meet the comfort and living requirements of the elderly being served.

Cognitive decline is a common issue among the elderly and a concern for family members, as well as a frequent challenge faced by healthcare institutions. AGI robots can control home automation, integrating with smart home technology, allowing the elderly to control lighting, thermostats, locks, and other devices through voice commands, enhancing their ability to live independently. AGI robots can provide educational content, language learning, and intellectual games, aiming to help the elderly keep their minds active and slow down cognitive decline. The design of AGI robots should adapt to different cognitive abilities, providing support in enhancing and maintaining the memory capabilities of the elderly. AGI robots require regular maintenance and updates, constantly iterating and upgrading, with relevant technical support departments providing assistance at all times to help the elderly solve any problems encountered. As AGI robots increasingly participate in elderly care work, ethical factors such as the autonomy, dignity, and willingness of the elderly must be considered to safeguard users’ quality of life and personal rights. Given the financial circumstances of the elderly, the costs associated with designing AGI robots and their related services should be reasonable, striving to enable more elderly individuals to benefit from AGI robots while rapidly bringing AGI robots to market, allowing producing enterprises to achieve significant growth potential. In the initial application phase, it is essential to consider the feedback of the elderly and technology iteration, promptly collecting feedback from users and caregivers to improve and enhance the design and functionality of AGI robots. In terms of integration with healthcare professionals, if AGI robots need to collaborate with healthcare professionals, their design should seamlessly link with medical records, telehealth systems, and other healthcare technologies.

Designing AGI robots that meet the needs of the elderly requires close collaboration among multidisciplinary and multi-professional teams, including engineers, healthcare professionals, gerontologists, user experience designers, ethicists, legal scholars, anthropologists, sociologists, and cultural scholars, among others. Only by comprehensively considering various factors can designers create AGI robots that enhance the quality of life for the elderly, promote strong independence, and are welcomed and favored by the elderly. In summary, AGI robots play a broad and evolving role in elderly services, providing solutions that address nearly every aspect of the daily lives of the elderly. From strengthening safety and hygiene management to providing companionship and supporting the independence of the elderly, AGI robots will become an indispensable part of elderly care services.

Based on the above functions, AGI robots refer to technologies that enable machines to understand, process, and respond to human language in natural and meaningful ways, such as natural language processing, image processing, etc. These technologies support various AGI robot applications, providing information, assistance, and services to the elderly through conversational interfaces. Currently, many attempts have been made in assisting the elderly, specifically in natural language processing (NLP), which can understand spoken or written human language, recognizing various language structures, slang, idioms, and even some errors or uncommon usages, which is particularly important for the elderly. Natural language understanding (NLU) should go beyond processing functionality, meaning it can understand the intent behind user information, such as “implication,” which will be one of the future functions of AGI robots, enabling them to accurately grasp context, emotions, and specific requests. Natural language generation (NLG) is the ability to create coherent and context-relevant sentences, conveying the required information or actions, understanding the context of the moment, and achieving accurate communication. Machine learning and deep learning technologies allow AGI robots to learn from interactions, continuously improving their understanding and response capabilities over time based on patterns and feedback. Enhancing AGI robots’ ability to engage in dialogues involving multiple exchanges allows them to pose follow-up questions without losing context.

AGI robots should possess integration capabilities, able to interface (API, Application Programming Interface) with various platforms, databases, and programs to retrieve information, perform tasks, and provide personalized responses based on user data. Additionally, the main types of AGI robots have emerged. Currently, some elderly service robots with relatively singular service functions have appeared, such as chatbots that can engage in natural language conversations with the elderly, typically used for chatting, information retrieval, and simple interactive tasks, similar to customer support bots on websites and virtual assistants in applications, but more advanced than these assistants. Voice assistants and smart speakers, which can understand spoken language and respond verbally, are already seen in smartphones and home assistant devices. Furthermore, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, which are automated telephone systems that interact with callers, collect information, and route calls to the appropriate recipients using voice commands or keypad input, are also relevant. For example, the voice assistant in Amazon Alexa Echo devices can play music, provide news, and control smart home devices through voice commands. Google Assistant can perform internet searches, manage schedules, send messages, and interact with smart home devices, usable on smartphones and smart home boxes (Google Home) speakers. Apple Siri is integrated into Apple devices, allowing users to make calls, send messages, set reminders, provide directions, and answer questions using voice commands. In summary, conversational AI encompasses a wide range of applications aimed at simulating human dialogue, from simple chatbots handling user queries to complex voice assistants integrated into daily life. These technologies combine NLP, NLU, NLG, and machine learning, providing users with intuitive, efficient, and personalized ways to interact with machines, showcasing the continuous advancement of artificial intelligence and its growing trend in enhancing user experiences across various fields, laying the foundation for the development of AGI robots.

(2) The Cognitive Mechanism of Mental Care Integrated into AGI Large Models

The elderly need both intelligent assistance and conscious support. Intelligence is the ability of humans to solve the problems they face. Consciousness refers to human feelings, such as the capacity for pain, joy, love, and anger. For humans and other mammals, intelligence and consciousness complement each other. Entrepreneurs, drivers, teachers, and artists rely on their feelings to solve certain problems. AGI robots, however, resolve these issues in a way entirely different from humans and cannot yet be considered to develop consciousness in the problem-solving process. Over the past few decades, significant advancements have been made in computer intelligence, but no progress has been made in computer consciousness. Currently, in the face of rapid development of artificial intelligence, humans should invest equivalent funds and time to research and develop their own thoughts. Otherwise, humanity may be dominated by a super-intelligent machine that lacks consciousness. These machines can surpass humans in any task but do not consider experiences such as love, beauty, and joy. To effectively meet the daily living and spiritual comfort needs of the elderly, AGI robots should possess a range of functions that provide both physical assistance and emotional support, that is, consciousness.

In the future, Apple Vision Pro and Sora will have the technical capability to reintegrate elderly individuals who have become socially and family isolated into society. They can address the issues of social alienation brought about by retirement and moving into nursing homes. Apple Vision Pro, as a creative spatial computing device, seamlessly integrates digital content into the real world, allowing the elderly to stay connected with others and create a boundless communication ecosystem, enabling Apps to break the limitations of traditional displays and bringing a new 3D interactive experience to the elderly, using the most natural and intuitive input methods such as eyes, hands, and voice to fulfill the spiritual and mental needs of the elderly. Of course, the current Apple Vision Pro is still relatively bulky, and there is still a distance to meet the needs of the elderly, requiring further improvements in hardware technology.

It must be recognized that the development process of AGI robot technology involves understanding the complexity and subtlety of social relationships among people, which is not something that general language models can comprehend and interpret. “In the most fundamental research of sociology on ‘social relationships,’ there are still many blank areas waiting for us to explore. Especially in the ‘communication’ aspect of various ‘interpersonal relationships,’ it has always been an unclear area in sociology, such as the ‘implicit’ and ‘implied’ realms in the process of interpersonal interactions, which are important aspects of social relationships.” “Implicitly understood” and “implied meaning” are expressions of human significance based on specific cultural, environmental, and experiential cognitive elements. For now, we temporarily refer to this cognitive realm as “tacit perception,” which differs from the immediately clear perception, and the knowledge produced from this is referred to as “tacit knowledge.” Reviewing the literature, “tacit perception” has not yet been mentioned in general knowledge or any specific field, nor have any elderly care institutions or personnel specifically conducted experiments in care regarding “tacit perception.” However, many elderly care institutions or personnel understand their service targets through “tacit perception” in their daily interactions, acquiring knowledge and improving service quality. In 1935, Fei Xiaotong and his wife Wang Tonghui conducted field research in the Dayao Mountains using this cognitive approach. “In this realm of interpersonal communication characterized by ‘understanding,’ Chinese culture inherently possesses certain preferences and advantages. The efforts of Chinese sociologists may achieve some groundbreaking accomplishments in this regard; conversely, if we do not break through this point, sociology, whether as an applied profession or as a discipline of humanistic cultivation, will have serious flaws.” This insight was gained by Mr. Fei Xiaotong from his lifelong research in sociology and anthropology around 20 years ago, and we also refer to it as the “social relationship code.” Today, as humanity encounters the rise of AI, in-depth studies of AI’s cognitive methods and knowledge production may provide perspectives for understanding “tacit perception” and “tacit knowledge,” offering important parameters for designing AGI robots needed to serve the elderly.

On a deeper level, human understanding of social relationships is based on their own knowledge, experiences, and environment. Individuals, starting from infancy, are educated in various environments such as family, school, and society, continuously integrating social norms and cultural practices, both intuitive and non-intuitive, into their inner world. The education and experiences of individuals form the foundation for their behavioral patterns, experiences, judgments, and cognition, which is also a challenge for AI to learn human nature. This process offers crucial insights for the design and training of AGI, emphasizing the need to input various life and cultural data into AGI for training across various cultural types. If AGI robots are applied to individuals, small models implanted in smartphones or tablets will have more application value for individual cognition and will be beneficial for expanding and strengthening the AI market. Consequently, elderly care personnel, geriatric medical professionals, educators, and other fields can adapt to such scenarios with multimodal large models.

(3) The Core Technologies of AGI Robots Understanding the Needs of the Elderly: “Tacit Perception” and “Tacit Knowledge”

Here, we imagine a scenario where an AGI robot is applied in the elderly care service system. A silicon-based elderly assistant with functionalities to serve the elderly enters the homes, communities, or nursing institutions of the elderly, positioning itself as a service personnel acceptable to the elderly and communicating with elderly groups, acquiring knowledge about their culture, customs, habits, and systems. Can this silicon-based elderly assistant understand its service targets through its training, utilizing its auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory perceptions to comprehend the culture of the community it serves? Can it acquire knowledge recognized by carbon-based human anthropologists regarding the habits, systems, and norms of its community?

From the concepts of “tacit knowledge” and “implicit knowledge” regarding the AGI robot’s ability to enhance the quality of elderly services, the development direction of contemporary elderly care institutions or personnel involves several key factors. First, integrating AGI tools. It is foreseeable that elderly care institutions or personnel will increasingly apply AGI robots in elderly care work for data analysis, pattern recognition, and language processing, enhancing service efficiency, expanding the scale of service targets, and improving service quality. The collaboration between elderly care institutions or personnel and AGI robots, along with data science experts, will become increasingly common and close. This collaboration will organically combine the insights and computational power of silicon-based elderly service assistants. As elderly care institutions explore the impact of AGI robots, digital technology, and virtual environments on human society, silicon-based elderly service assistants will further develop. Second, through critical reflection on the role of technology, AGI robots in elderly care institutions will undergo in-depth studies on their impact on shaping human behavior, cultural customs, and social structures, including research on the positive and negative factors of technological advancements. Elderly care institutions or personnel will focus on understanding how the introduction of AGI robots affects cultural dynamics, power structures, and social relationships within families, communities, and institutions. Third, adapting to technological changes, elderly care institutions or personnel need to adjust their methods and means to adapt to the evolving technological environment, closely tracking global trends in AGI development, considering how different societies and cultures accept AGI robots, and conducting comparative studies on the cultural impacts of AGI robots. Elderly care institutions or personnel should engage in global public discussions and educational activities to gain a broader understanding of the technological impacts of AGI robots, transforming the complex concept of AGI elderly care into a broader awareness and behavior among audiences.

4. The Underlying Technical Logic of AGI Robots Meeting the Needs of the Elderly

The above analysis discusses the characteristics of elderly care organizations and the elderly’s needs for elderly care services, which determine the data systems, model designs, parameter considerations, and infrastructure construction required for AGI robots. Integrating these factors is essential for designing AGI robots that meet the requirements of high-quality elderly care services.

(1) Structured Data and Unstructured Data

The design process of AGI robots to meet the needs of the elderly should prioritize usability, safety, emotional connection, and adaptability to the diverse needs of elderly users. Scientifically sound social goals must consider various social indicators and data collection. “Any quantitative social indicator, the more it is applied to social decisions, the greater the pressure of social corruption, making it easier to distort and erode the social processes it aims to monitor.” Here, data is crucial. First, understanding users and conducting in-depth research on the elderly, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to comprehensively understand the specific needs, preferences, and challenges faced by the elderly population. Creating specific roles representing different age users, including varying levels of mobility, cognitive abilities, and technological proficiency. Second, technical specifications should combine voice recognition, touch screens, gesture control, and possibly facial expression recognition to ensure interactivity for users with different abilities and preferences. Designing robots with mobility (such as wheeled or walking robots, humanoid robots) and mechanical hands for physical tasks (e.g., picking up objects, opening doors). AGI robots should be equipped with sensors for navigation, interaction, and health monitoring (e.g., cameras, microphones, touch, and environmental sensors) to perform physical tasks. Ensuring that AGI robots can connect to the internet, home networks, and other devices (e.g., smartphones, medical devices) for communication and data exchange is essential. Third, software and algorithms should be developed for understanding natural language, recognizing user commands and emotions, and learning from interactions to continuously improve. Algorithms for analyzing sensor data can monitor health vital signs, detect falls or emergencies, and provide medication and appointment reminders. Fourth, user interface and experience should primarily focus on natural language processing and image processing, previously using large buttons, clear fonts, and auditory feedback to ensure ease of navigation for users with varying visual, auditory, and motor skill levels. Future AGI robots can fully utilize natural language interaction and image recognition. Users should be allowed to customize settings, preferences, and the types of interactions they wish to have with the robots. Establishing mechanisms for users to provide feedback and improvement suggestions regarding the performance of the robots is crucial. Fifth, safety and compliance measures must be integrated into the design of AGI robots, including emergency stop buttons and safety mechanisms in the event of malfunctions, ensuring the use of soft materials to prevent injuries during interactions. Legally and regulatory-wise, AGI robots must comply with all relevant safety and privacy regulations and standards for medical and personal use devices. Sixth, testing and iteration are vital; designers must engage in extensive communication and repeated testing with elderly users before AGI robots enter their lives, collecting feedback to identify areas for improvement. Utilizing feedback from the testing phase to refine designs, focusing on usability, effectiveness, and user satisfaction.

The needs outlined above indicate that AGI robots serving the elderly will involve structured data and unstructured data, which are the two fundamental data categories encountered in data processing, storage, and analysis. Understanding their commonalities and differences is crucial for effectively managing and extracting valuable information from data. The commonality between structured and unstructured data is that both require storage solutions, albeit with significant differences in their nature, such as structured data in databases and unstructured data in data lakes. Both types of data are used for collecting opinions and suggestions, supporting decision-making, and driving machine learning and AGI applications. The components of big data represent different types of analyzable data and the information that can be obtained. Both structured and unstructured data require some form of processing to function, whether querying and analyzing structured data or labeling and classifying unstructured data. The differences between structured and unstructured data lie in their organization and the ease of analyzing them. Structured data is highly organized, making it easy for machine language to understand and analyze. Its formatting allows for straightforward searching through simple, direct search engine algorithms or other search operations. It is typically stored in relational databases (RDBMS) and can be accessed using structured query language (SQL). In daily life, data in database tables, Excel spreadsheets, and CSV files are organized into rows and columns with specific data types. Structured data has its predefined architecture, meaning that the structure of the data, including field names and data types, is defined before storing the data. Because of its organized format, structured data is easier to process, allowing for efficient querying, analysis, and narration. Unstructured data lacks a specific form or structure, making it difficult to process and analyze using conventional database tools and algorithms. As previously mentioned, “tacit knowledge” typically resides in non-relational databases, which differ from traditional relational database management systems (NoSQL) or data lakes, where large amounts of different data types can be stored in their native formats. In daily life, text documents, emails, social media posts, videos, images, audio files, and web pages generally fall into this category of data. Unstructured data lacks a predefined structure, meaning that data structure does not need to be defined before analyzing or processing it. Processing unstructured data requires more complex and advanced technologies, such as natural language processing (NLP), image recognition, and machine learning algorithms, which AGI robots should possess. In summary, the primary distinction between structured and unstructured data lies in their format and the ease of analyzing them. In a data-driven world, both types of data are crucial for comprehensive data analysis and decision-making processes. In the daily lives of the elderly in care institutions, AGI robots cannot avoid these data structures.

(2) The Technical and Ethical Characteristics of Empathy Training for AGI Robots

Empathy is one of the core elements of elderly services. Training AGI robots in empathy involves comprehensive issues of technical ethics. In such an environment, empathy refers to the capacity of AGI robots to understand and appropriately respond to the emotions and various cultural nuances of the elderly. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the diversity of training datasets, covering a wide range of cultural backgrounds, emotional expressions, and communication styles. Combining emotional recognition models to analyze facial expressions, voice tones, and other cues can help identify and understand the emotions of the elderly. This way, AGI robots can respond with appropriate empathy. Parameter designs need to ensure that AGI robots maintain cognitive coherence through various models. Cognitive continuity is crucial for understanding empathy, enabling AGI robots to interpret information in a detailed manner. Second, implementing continuous learning and feedback mechanisms allows AGI robots to adjust and improve their empathetic responses based on user interactions and evolving cultural dynamics. During the training process of AGI robots, experts in sociology, anthropology, and social work should participate and provide guidance, helping to refine AGI robots’ understanding and expression of empathy in various situations. Third, establishing evaluation metrics for AGI robots’ empathetic abilities involves assessing the accuracy of emotion recognition models, the appropriateness of responses to different social environments and cultural cues, and the overall effectiveness of conveying empathy. It is essential to ensure transparency and explainability in the decision-making processes of AGI robots. Users need to understand how AGI robots make specific empathetic responses to enhance trust in AGI robots. Training AGI robots should focus not only on technical improvements but also on various complex social, cultural, and ethical factors.

This raises a deeper issue that elderly individuals and others often contemplate: the spiritual world of individuals, including the elderly. There are significant differences in the understanding of the concept of the “spiritual world” across different cultures, religions, and personal beliefs. Common elements typically include, first, spirituality. Many spiritual views encompass spiritual and even divine elements. Second, concepts of the afterlife. Concepts such as heaven, hell, purgatory, or reincarnation frequently appear in these beliefs, especially for elderly individuals approaching the end of life, making it an unavoidable issue. Although current AI systems, such as ChatGPT, can process and analyze data related to human emotions, beliefs, and behaviors, they still have limitations. In the design of AGI robots, subjectivity and personal experience need further emphasis. Due to the lack of personal consciousness and experience, the “understanding” of AGI will still fundamentally differ from human understanding for some time to come.

(3) Infrastructure Development Approaching Data Sources

In daily life, the elderly face a series of urgent and sometimes unexpected issues, such as personal spiritual care, psychological communication, emergencies, physical condition monitoring, and daily services. The daily lives of the elderly themselves represent a vast data source. AGI robots approaching data sources are excellent technical elements. The rapid development of personal computers has benefited from continuous innovations in silicon chips. Looking back in history, “Only after perfecting ‘infrastructure’ through high technology did the PC industry emerge later.” Future technological development needs to create suitable AGI computing power and infrastructure for personal applications, in other words, developing microservers and humanoid robots that can be installed on personal computers or smartphones to replace some functions of current large-scale computing centers. Companies like Qualcomm have already made attempts in this area, and we look forward to such computing technologies not only facilitating individuals but also promoting the marketization of AGI, bringing greater profits to enterprises and more convenience to individuals. Making AGI computing and infrastructure more suitable for personal use aligns with the principles of edge AI, bringing intelligence and computing power closer to data sources while reducing the pressure and inconveniences caused by centralized processing. Some trends and considerations related to this concept include possibilities. As previously mentioned, some companies, and not just one, are already developing dedicated AI processing units for edge devices. These units are designed to perform AI computations on personal computers, smartphones, and IoT devices locally. Developing embedded AGI chips specifically for personal use is an urgent need in society and the market. These chips aim to provide efficient AGI processing capabilities while meeting the power and size requirements of personal devices. Smartphones equipped with dedicated AGI accelerators can efficiently perform machine learning tasks. With the development of such infrastructure, they will become more common and powerful, enabling advanced AGI facilities to be loaded onto mobile devices. Microservers or edge servers are compactly designed and energy-efficient, suitable for deployment in edge smart scenarios, promoting local processing of AGI robot tasks without relying on centralized servers. This will be a boon for households of elderly individuals living independently. Currently, although GPUs are widely used for AI computing, research continues into developing alternative hardware architectures better suited for edge operations, including TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) and other dedicated infrastructures and new technologies. Second, edge training. Training AGI capabilities on devices, even on a small scale, is worth significant attention, as it enables personal devices to adapt and learn from user interactions without relying on cloud-based training. Currently, research and development of low-power AI training algorithms and hardware make it possible to train models on devices with limited power resources. Third, energy support. The future focus of AGI processor technology development will be energy efficiency, ensuring that AGI computing on personal devices does not significantly depend on battery life. Edge devices require robust connectivity to interact with cloud services when needed. The development of 5G (and the upcoming 6G) and subsequent connectivity technologies will play a key role in supporting these communication needs. Currently, the development of edge devices still faces numerous challenges, including power consumption limits and the demand for efficient algorithms, but the overall trend is to realize more AGI functionalities at the edge, enabling personal devices to handle complex AGI tasks without extensive reliance on external servers or GPUs. It is anticipated that by 2024 or 2025, humanity will witness the arrival of this moment.

Considering the broad impacts of AGI advancements, attention must be paid to data analysis and pattern recognition. AGI has the capability to analyze massive data and identify patterns, assisting elderly care institutions or personnel in processing and interpreting large datasets, strengthening analytical capabilities. By leveraging AGI to analyze big data, elderly care institutions or personnel can develop new management models for cultural characteristics, development trends, social behaviors, and interactions.AGI robots can assist the elderly in completing certain tasks through automation, allowing elderly care institutions or personnel to focus on more nuanced aspects of their work, proposing innovative solutions to achieve high-quality elderly service development goals.

5. Conclusion: Adhering to Responsible and Ethical Norms in the Development of AGI Robots for Elderly Care Services

Further discussion is needed on improving human-machine interaction in elderly care services. In the future, as artificial intelligence robots replace most physical labor and general AGI partially replaces mental and emotional labor, the patterns of knowledge production and social relationships will undoubtedly undergo significant changes. First, there will be a transformation in skill demands. With the automation of routine work and manual tasks, the demand for skills related to supporting automation will naturally increase, such as creativity, critical thinking, emotional communication, social interaction, and the ability to solve complex problems, allowing humans to focus on work requiring specific qualities. The collaboration between humans and AGI systems will become increasingly common. Humans will leverage AGI tools for data analysis, decision support, and promoting automation, creating synergy between human creativity and machine efficiency. As the nature of work changes, enhancing workforce skills and retraining will become increasingly important. Continuous learning and adaptability will be the decisive conditions for individuals to maintain competitiveness in a changing environment. Second, AGI will support and assist knowledge production. AGI systems can help humans produce knowledge by analyzing large datasets and identifying different patterns, playing an important role in knowledge innovation and accumulation. Researchers and professionals will use AGI tools to accelerate information synthesis and the production of new knowledge. The rise of AGI has sparked ethical discussions regarding job transitions, social equity, and the responsible use of technology, focusing on ensuring a smooth and equitable transition from traditional industries to new industries and addressing biases in AGI systems while formulating AGI-friendly policies that have widespread impacts on the human community. AGI enhances human capabilities but should not completely replace humans; rather, it serves to augment human intelligence. Augmented intelligence refers to combining the advantages of humans and AGI to help humans improve decision-making systems, enhance decision-making capabilities, and execute repetitive tasks. In the process of transformation, numerous new job positions will undoubtedly emerge, including those supervising and managing AGI systems, designing AGI solutions, and providing services utilizing AGI skills. Third, productivity and innovation capacity will improve. Automation and AGI will significantly enhance productivity and innovation capacity. The changes brought about by AGI-based work and integration will have profound social and cultural impacts. In navigating these future trends, proactive exploration in education, public policy, and workforce development is essential to ensure stable social and economic development while preparing to address the challenges posed by the benefits of advanced technology. “To clarify our position in this world, our focus may need to shift from ‘human rationality-centered’ to ‘human dignity and autonomy-centered,’ seeking a balance between machine intelligence and human skills and values, which will form the basis for the future prosperity of AGI robots and carbon-based humans.”

Although the complete integration of AGI with carbon-based humans is an ideal goal, some fundamental principles must be upheld. First, establish a robust ethical framework to guide AGI development and deployment. Ethical considerations should include transparency, fairness, accountability, and human rights protection. Adhere to a human-centered model and a user-centric design in the construction of a high-quality elderly care service system, designing AGI robots centered around the elderly, fully considering the diverse needs, preferences, and cultural backgrounds of the elderly, actively listening to the voices of the elderly, and incorporating them into technology and model development. Prioritize the security and privacy of elderly user data, implementing strong measures to protect sensitive information and ensure user trust in AGI systems. Train AGI robots for cultural sensitivity, considering the diversity of human cultures and adjusting their behaviors and communication styles accordingly. Develop continuous learning mechanisms to enable AGI robots to adapt to changing social developments, community dynamics, human preferences, and cultural environments. Second, continuously enhance the capabilities of AGI robots to help them understand and respond to various communication patterns and interaction needs of the elderly, including text, voice, images, and possibly other non-verbal communication forms. Develop emotionally intelligent AGI systems capable of recognizing various human emotions and responding appropriately, including understanding and expressing empathy. Create an atmosphere of collaboration between humans and AGI, including designing AI systems that enhance human capabilities and support collaborative decision-making. Design AI systems that are accessible to individuals with varying abilities. While achieving complete human-machine integration remains challenging in the current environment, it may even provoke ethical controversies, leading to social issues. Third, ensure transparency and explainability, ensuring the transparency of the decision-making processes of AI and improving interpretability. Existing and new laws and regulations related to AI development must be adhered to, ensuring that AI complies with legal and ethical standards. It is essential to ensure that all collected data is securely stored and processed, with clear usage permissions defined. AGI robots designed for elderly care should respect the dignity and autonomy of the elderly, including the ability to opt-out of certain functions or monitoring. Equipping AGI with these capabilities can not only improve the physical health of the elderly but also significantly enhance their emotional well-being and overall quality of life. Crucially, advancements in AGI technology must be combined with ethical considerations and a human-centered approach to genuinely benefit the aging population.

Designing AGI robots is primarily to supplement the shortage of elderly care personnel rather than replace human caregivers, encouraging human-machine interaction and supporting the connection between AGI robots and families and communities. Provide comprehensive training for the elderly and caregivers on how to interact with and maintain AGI robots. Research and development institutions must provide continuous support and maintenance services to address any issues that arise and update AGI software over time to enhance functionality. Designing AGI for the elderly is a complex process requiring attention to detail.

In the future, although AGI has the potential to alleviate issues arising from declining birth rates, it is not a panacea. Implementing AGI solutions requires careful consideration of ethical, cultural, and social impacts. Moreover, AGI cannot completely replace the benefits brought by a diverse and vibrant population. Strategies to address declining birth rates need to adopt multifaceted approaches, including social policies, family support, and economic incentives. Overall, AGI can serve as a technological tool in specific periods to address declining birth rates, but it should be integrated into broader strategic considerations. The “Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Developing the Silver Economy and Enhancing the Well-Being of the Elderly” (Guo Ban Fa [2024] No. 1) requires, “Improving the directory of intelligent health elderly care products and services, promoting the integration and application of new-generation information technology, mobile terminals, wearable devices, and service robots in home, community, and institutional elderly care scenarios, developing intelligent products for health management, elderly care monitoring, and psychological comfort, and promoting the application of intelligent nursing robots, home service robots, and intelligent anti-lost terminals.” This outlines the direction for the development of AGI robots in serving the elderly care industry in the new era.

In summary, the development of AGI brings limitless imagination to humanity, especially as various infrastructures (CPU, GPU, TPU) and large models are developed and related training is strengthened. AGI will better develop various human skills and may even completely surpass humans in certain fields, but in some areas, it will inevitably fall short of humans. “A new type of interpersonal partnership is beginning to emerge: first, humans define a problem or goal for machines; then, machines operate in areas beyond human reach, determining the optimal processes to pursue. Once machines bring a certain process into the realm of human understanding, we can attempt to study it, understand it, and ideally incorporate it into existing practices.” Addressing these issues requires in-depth research and reflection. Of course, the emergence of AGI primarily impacts people’s work and lives. Understanding the depth and height of AGI’s application and the characteristics of human society, as well as recognizing the various difficulties and challenges AGI faces, is of significant importance for understanding the tremendous developments, opportunities, and challenges of our era. Simply believing that AGI will replace everything or completely overturn the socio-economic landscape is not a scientific attitude. There is no need for concern; “artificial intelligence will not become the ruler that enslaves us all but will serve as another useful function in the technological infrastructure of our daily lives.” A scientific attitude should be that AGI scientists, engineers, anthropologists, sociologists, legal scholars, social security experts, elderly care institution staff, and elderly care institution management departments collaborate to deeply understand the characteristics and laws of human social development and human nature. Social scientists, including elderly care institutions or personnel, should understand the characteristics of technological development. The best approach is for AI scientists and engineers to engage in dialogue with philosophers, social scientists, and humanists regarding common issues, developing AGI elderly care robots to address the challenges of human development, aging, and declining birth rates, finding more feasible paths and choices for AGI development, and promoting the high-quality development of the social security system and elderly care institutions. In the face of future challenges, there are many choices for people. To maximize the role of robots in elderly care, governments and relevant departments need to invest in research and development, establish safety and privacy standards, and build infrastructures utilizing AGI, including training caregivers and users, among other measures. It is essential to fully recognize that artificial intelligence “digitally connects everything, with new market structures and business models emerging one after another, reshaping society.” In summary, AGI robots possess significant potential to alleviate the challenges posed by China’s aging population and declining birth rates, and realizing this potential requires collaborative exploration by policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders.

Author Ding Yuanzhu is a professor at the Department of Social and Ecological Civilization Research, Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Governance).

This article was published in the “Social Security Review” 2024, issue 3.