Artificial Intelligence-based social assistive robots in dementia care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) significantly affects older adults and their caregivers, necessitating innovative caregiving solutions. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the efficacy of the application of AI-based socially assistive robots (AI-SARs) in ADRD care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of randomized controlled trials was conducted across 11 databases (e.g., PubMed, Web of Science) following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Eligible trial studies must be interventions that adopted AI-SARs in supporting older adults with ADRD or family caregivers. Outcomes analyzed included care recipient cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and agitation. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included in the systematic review and ten in the meta-analysis. AI-SAR interventions showed a statistically significant reduction in depression [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.56 to -0.03; p = .027] and agitation (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.03; p = .027). No significant effects were found on cognitive function (SMD = -0.07; 95% CI: -0.30 to 0.16; p = .555), or anxiety (SMD = 1.12; 95% CI: -1.73 to 3.98; p = .440). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: AI-SARs may reduce depressive symptoms and agitation among older adults with ADRD. However, evidence for other outcomes remains inconclusive. Future research should focus on large-scale trials with standardized outcomes and explore the role of AI-SARs in supporting caregivers.