The data: 54% of US caregivers expect AI to play a larger role in managing a loved one’s care over the next five years, according to an August Bay Alarm Medical survey of 1,000 respondents, including 976 current or former caregivers. Meanwhile, 56% say they already use at least one AI-powered tool for caregiving.

Why it matters: AI applications in caregiving are becoming more varied, but caregivers distinguish between technology that supports care and technology that tries to replicate human relationships.

Support functions are more accepted than emotional ones. Eighty-one percent of caregivers are open to using AI for at least one safety function, such as medication reminders, fall alerts, and remote monitoring. Only 45% are open to more human-centric functions like conversations or companionship for their loved ones, and just 15% are at ease with AI interacting directly with their aging loved ones.

Caregivers also expect hesitation from their loved ones. Forty-seven percent think their loved ones would find AI confusing, while 31% think they would find it intrusive. As AI adoption depends on their cooperation, those perceptions are likely barriers.

Implications for tech and healthcare marketers: Companies marketing AI-enabled caregiving tools shouldn’t assume that caregivers who use the technology for practical tasks are also comfortable with more personal AI features. Adding conversational AI or companionship functions to a health-monitoring watch or voice-enabled device, for example, may not appeal to caregivers who prefer to keep those interactions human. Marketers may gain more traction by emphasizing how AI eases caregivers’ worries and reduces the need for constant check-ins rather than how closely it can replicate human interactions.

But even AI features that reassure caregivers may feel intrusive to their loved ones. Marketers can address that tension through interactive demos, shared onboarding, and other resources that let caregivers and loved ones explore how monitoring works and make decisions together about alerts, information sharing, and privacy.

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