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Opportunities and challenges of using socially intelligent agents: increasing interaction and school participation for children suffering from a long-term illness
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Education. (LICT)ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4418-7930
Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Physics and Electronics.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9283-9246
Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Physics and Electronics.
Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Physics and Electronics.
2021 (English)In: The international journal of information and learning technology, ISSN 2056-4880, E-ISSN 2056-4899, Vol. 38, no 4, p. 393-411Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose – Children suffering from cancer or cardiovascular disease, who need extended periods of treatment in hospitals, are subjected to multiple hardships apart from the physical implications, for example, experienced isolation and disrupted social and academic development. This has negative effects long after the child’s recovery from the illness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-medical needs of children suffering from a long-term illness, as well as research the field of artificial intelligence (AI) – more specifically, the use of socially intelligent agents (SIAs) – in order to study how technology can enhance children’s interaction, participation and quality of life. 

Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were performed with experts in three fields: housing manager for hospitalized children, a professor in computing science and researcher in AI, and an engineer and developer at a tech company.Findings – It is important for children to be able to take control of the narrative by using an SIA to support the documentation of their period of illness, for example. This could serve as a way of processing emotions, documenting educational development or keeping a reference for later in life. The findings also show that the societal benefits of AI include automating mundane tasks and recognizing patterns. 

Originality/value – The originality of this study concerns the holistic approach of increasing the knowledge and understanding of these children’s specific needs and challenges, particularly regarding their participation and interaction with teachers and friends at school, using an SIA. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2021. Vol. 38, no 4, p. 393-411
Keywords [en]
Artificial intelligence, Socially intelligent agent, Children, Health, Long-term illness
National Category
Pedagogical Work
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-186510DOI: 10.1108/IJILT-11-2020-0199ISI: 000683526800001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85112277738OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-186510DiVA, id: diva2:1583736
Projects
Att främja interaktion och inkludering med AI-baserad teknik för barn som är långvarigt sjukalictAvailable from: 2021-08-09 Created: 2021-08-09 Last updated: 2022-12-02Bibliographically approved

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Mårell-Olsson, EvaMejtoft, ThomasSöderström, Ulrik

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