AI Companionship: Exploring the deployment of an AI digital companion in a care setting

AI Companionship:
Exploring the deployment of an AI digital companion in a care setting

About

CloudMind Software (click here), in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s IDEA Lab, is leading a research initiative to explore the deployment of an AI digital companion —BRiGHTPATH—within long-term care (LTC) settings. This mobile-first application is designed to offer compassionate, personalized support to individuals with dementia, while empowering caregivers through scalable, ethical, and user-informed technology

Purpose

The aging population and increasing incidence of dementia have placed immense pressure on healthcare systems and caregivers. People with dementia often experience anxiety, memory loss, and social isolation, leading to repeated questions and a need for reassurance. This project seeks to address those challenges through conversational AI, aiming to reduce loneliness, support emotional well-being, and alleviate caregiver burden in real-world LTC environments.

Project Goals and Outcomes


This research will:
  • Assess the feasibility and acceptability of AI digital companion techonlogy in LTC homes
  • Co-design and adapt the chatbot based on feedback from residents, staff, families, and healthcare leaders
  • Evaluate the impact on residents’ emotional support, cognitive engagement, and care experience through qualitative and collaborative methods
  • Generate practical knowldge on ethical deployment, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable integration of AI in dementia care
  • Deliver outcomes include, but are not limited to, peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations, and a detailed final report to inform future innovations in eldercare

    • The Team


    Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Lillian Hung, UBC IDEA Lab

    Industry Partner Lead: Dr. Monica Tsai, Co-founder and CEO, CloudMind Software

    Resaerch Fellow: Dr. Yi-Ting Chiu, UBC IDEA Lab

    Collaborators:
  • Long-term care home residents and families
  • Frontline staff and operational leaders
  • Interdisciplinary researchers at UBC
  • Industry experts in Conversational AI
  • Regional and national eldercare stakeholders