The Alan Turing Institute, London NW1 2DB, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 19;18(2):812. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020812.
Voice controlled virtual assistants, delivered via consumer devices such as smart speakers and tablets, are being trialled by local authorities across England as a convenient and low-cost supplement or potential alternative to "traditional" telecare. Few papers have explored this increasingly widespread phenomenon, despite its growing importance. This article looks at choices by some local authorities to trial Alexa, within the context of the ongoing care crisis in England, with councils facing depleted funds, a lack of expert guidance on care technologies, and an increasingly complex and fragmented care technology marketplace. It draws on interviews with managers from eight English local authorities involved in the commissioning and trialling of technologies for adult social care to examine how and why virtual assistants are being implemented, and what implications their use might hold for care. Scaling up the application of such technologies could shift the role of local authorities towards one of an app developer and data broker, while generating considerable risks of reliance on the precarious technological infrastructure of global corporations that may have little interest in or sensitivity towards local care concerns. The findings suggest an urgent need for a national social care technology strategy and increased support for local authorities.
语音控制的虚拟助手通过智能音箱和平板电脑等消费设备提供，目前正在英格兰各地的地方当局进行试点，作为“传统”远程护理的便捷、低成本的补充或潜在替代方案。尽管这种现象越来越普遍，但很少有论文探讨过这一现象。本文着眼于一些地方当局选择试用 Alexa 的情况，背景是英格兰正在持续的护理危机，议会面临资金枯竭、护理技术缺乏专家指导以及日益复杂和分散的护理技术市场。本文采访了参与成人社会护理技术开发和试点的八个英格兰地方当局的管理人员，以研究虚拟助手是如何以及为何被实施的，以及它们的使用可能对护理产生什么影响。此类技术的广泛应用可能会使地方当局的角色转变为应用程序开发人员和数据经纪人，同时也会产生对可能对当地护理问题不感兴趣或不敏感的全球公司脆弱技术基础设施的严重依赖风险。调查结果表明，迫切需要制定国家社会护理技术战略，并增加对地方当局的支持。
