By Dr Donald Macaskill, Chief Executive, Scottish Care
EVERY day you open the newspaper there seems to be a new story of technological invention. We are well and truly in the fourth industrial revolution in which the pace of technological change is breathtaking. The world of Artificial Intelligence can seem remote and scary – the realm of science fiction.
But the future is in many senses already happening. As Christmas beckons, there will be a rush to buy the latest smart technology, whether that’s a smart toaster or microwave, TV or radio, lighting system or security device.
It is anticipated that home robots will be one of the best-selling high-end gifts this year.
From the phones we carry, which can change our heating as we sit in the traffic jam on the way home, to the heart devices we wear on our wrists that act as a deterrent to having that extra mince pie, we are surrounded by a world full of smart technology.
This is all well and good. It would be foolish to try to resist the tide of progress that will make human life better, prevent health incidents and give people more control and independence. But should there be limits to this new age?
Today is International Human Rights Day, on which we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The declaration arose from a desire to never again witness the obscene inhumanity that had led to millions of people being killed in a war that had scarred the globe.
It is all about what it means to be human.
But the world does not stand still and, as we celebrate human rights today, we need to consider the challenges that are affecting our communities at present.
So what do human rights have to say on the use of technology?
In my work, I see smart devices being used to positively predict the likelihood of someone falling and fracturing their bones, or to identify the risk of de-hydration and help people remain safely in their homes if they are living with dementia.
So there is much to be celebrate. But there are also dangers.
Increasingly, robots are being used in care homes across the world. More than 80 per cent of care homes in Japan have at least one robot.
There is virtually nothing a care worker can do that a “care-bot” cannot.
They are reliable devices, increase efficiency and reduce cost. But is that enough?
Yes, a care-bot can care for me; it can help me to reminiscence and keep me independent.
But can I feel the warmth of human touch through its metal? Do I want a machine to be my companion in my later days and in my last hours? Can it understand my fears and calm my distress? Is saving money all that matters?
If human rights are to frame our society for the decades ahead, we need to start creating a set of principles around technology and its use in Scotland.
The time has come as we move deeper into the technological age for us to create an ethical and human rights-based framework so that the design, development and use of technology is advancing our sense of society and community rather than having the opposite effect of diminishing both.
So that is why Scottish Care is calling for the creation of a human rights charter for technology and a Scottish centre for human rights and ethics in technology.
Life is too important to be left to the machines. Human rights need to speak up in our increasingly technological age.
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