Outsourcing Love: When AI Calls Your Mum So You Don’t Have To
If you need an AI to call your parents because you’re “too busy,” you’re not automating care, you’re industrialising neglect. This isn’t innovation. It’s emotional offshoring.
inTouch is an AI that phones your elderly relatives so you don’t have to. It makes small talk, logs their mood, and sends summaries to your app. It works. But should it?
It claims to support mental wellbeing, but AI lacks emotional nuance and symbolic human presence. The founder of inTouch insists it’s a complement to, not replacement for, family connection.
But when a machine tracks your mum’s sadness so you don’t have to? That’s not support. That’s emotional automation, and it is utterly depressing.
• AI voice calls mimic family check-ins. • Mood summaries replace actual conversation. • Elderly users may feel abandoned.
We say we’re building a more connected future, but are we just automating away the bits that make us human? Would you accept a call from a bot instead of your child?
Read the full article on 404 Media.
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