LO
PilotCognitive automation2023-08-01
An AI companion robot placed with more than 800 older New Yorkers is reported to cut loneliness by 95%, with users interacting over 30 times a day, in a state pilot
Care worker / nursing assistantoccupation page →
Event date / reported
2023-08-01
Evidence stage
PilotSmall-scale trial in a real setting. Tells us the deployment conditions are being tested, not that they hold — so one pilot is never enough on its own; two independent ones are.
Tasks this bears on
Being the person who is there
Talking, listening, being known — for many people receiving care this is the majority of their human contact in a day.
Still human-led✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
The state ageing agency's announcement on its pilot bringing the ElliQ companion robot to more than 800 older adults living at home. It reports that the companion achieved a 95% reduction in loneliness and that users interact with it over 30 times a day, six days a week. The outcomes come from the vendor's own data and client surveys and were announced jointly with the vendor; the pilot is for older people at home, not residents of care homes, and it does not measure contact with care workers.
What this means
Machines are being tried for company, and people use them a lot. What this does not show is the part of the job that is company given during care — the evidence is from people living alone at home, and it comes from the vendor.
What it does not yet show
Vendor-reported outcomes for older people at home; not care-home residents, not a controlled trial, and nothing about care workers' time.
What you can check
Open NYSOFA's announcement on the ElliQ rollout and find "95% reduction in loneliness".
Does it change the assessment?
No. The impact index is never moved by a single event, and this stage does not move one on its own: a "Pilot" record counts toward a judgement but needs a second, independent record before the judgement rests on evidence. This one is counted; on its own it changed nothing.
Source
New York State Office for the Aging — NYSOFA's Rollout of AI Companion Robot ElliQ Shows 95% Reduction in Loneliness (August 1, 2023), announced with the vendor Intuition Robotics · verified 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.