AI-Powered Care Robots for Compassionate Care: A Value-Sensitive Approach to Humanizing Healthcare

Compassionate care is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of high-quality healthcare, essential for optimal outcomes for patients and families. However, stress, exhaustion, and emotional depletion often undermine the ability of caregivers to provide patient-centered attention. This paper aims to (i) propose that integrating care robots equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems into healthcare environments has the potential to reduce caregivers’ workloads and emotional strain, thereby revitalizing the human-centered dimension of care. Achieving this, however, requires designing care robots that adopt a Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. Accordingly, the second aim of this work is to (ii) demonstrate how a VSD in line with the above-mentioned aim can guide the development of care robots that are responsive to the real needs of healthcare professionals. This can be achieved through careful examination of their preferences, specific requirements, and the contexts in which they operate. A specific VSD aims at promoting a model of technological development that enhances professional expertise, ensuring that robotic entities function as supportive tools, while preserving the meaningful dimension of care work.