彭博社 | AI正在迈向父母们的生活-夜雨聆风

彭博社 | AI正在迈向父母们的生活

At first glance, AI companions for lonely seniors can seem dystopian, looking less like innovation than a bleak sign of social failure.

Translation:

乍一看，为孤独老人配备AI伴侣似乎颇具反乌托邦色彩——与其说这是一种创新，不如说是社会失能的凄凉写照。

Takeaway:

at first glance: the first time that you look at someone or something, before you notice any details 乍一看，最初看到时
senior n. a senior citizen 老年人，长者
dystopian n. an imaginary place where life is extremely difficult and a lot of unfair or immoral things happen 反面乌托邦，反面假想国，敌托邦

Spending a couple days last week in Tokyo nursing homes, I watched plushie robots the size of human babies being handed to aging parents and grandparents, and prototypes of conversational dolls aimed to fill gaps when family, community and human care fall short. It reminded me of showing ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode to my own 97-year-old grandfather last summer, shortly after my grandmother passed away. He was appalled, making clear he had no interest in chatting with the artificially cheery voice.

Translation:

上周，我在东京的几家养老院待了几天，目睹了人类婴儿大小的毛绒机器人被递到年迈的父母和祖父母手中，还看到了旨在填补家庭、社区和人工照护缺口的对话式玩偶原型。这让我想起去年夏天，在我祖母去世后不久，我向自己97岁的祖父展示ChatGPT的高级语音模式时的情景。他大为震惊，明确表示自己对与那个故作欢快的合成声音聊天毫无兴趣。

Takeaway:

prototype n. the first form that a new design of a car, machine etc has, or a model of it used to test the design before it is produced 〔新型汽车、机器等的〕原型，雏形
fall short: to be less than the amount or standard that is needed or that you want 未达到…；不足…；未满…
appalled adj. very shocked and upset by something very bad or unpleasant 感到震惊的，惊骇万分的
cheery adj. happy or making you feel happy 欢快的，高兴的；令人愉快的

And yet my instinct to recoil at this all collides with a harder reality. Japan, like much of Asia, is aging fast and running short of caregivers. It’s no surprise that policymakers are turning to technology. The nation is expected to face a shortage of 570,000 care workers by 2040, making the search for solutions increasingly urgent. And the meteoric rise of AI makes companion robots an attractive policy goal.

Translation:

然而，我本能地对这一切感到反感，却与一个更残酷的现实发生了碰撞。日本，如同亚洲大部分地区一样，正在迅速老龄化，护理人员日益短缺。政策制定者转向技术寻求解决方案，这不足为奇。预计到2040年，日本将面临57万名护理工人的缺口，寻找解决方案已变得日益紧迫。而AI的飞速崛起，使陪伴机器人成为一项颇具吸引力的政策目标。

Takeaway:

recoil v. to feel such a strong dislike of a particular situation that you want to avoid it 〔因强烈厌恶某情形而〕退缩；踌躇不前
collide v. to disagree strongly with a person or group, especially on a particular subject 〔尤指在某一问题上〕冲突，抵触
caregiver n. someone who takes care of a child or sick person 〔小孩或病人的〕看护者，护理员
meteoric adj. happening very suddenly and quickly 突然而迅速发生的

But they’re no panacea. They may have a place in the future of care, but the bigger risk is that governments and companies will use them to dodge the harder fixes required to treat care work as essential infrastructure. This involves increasing wages, supporting seniors who want to live at home, and focusing on targeted tech solutions that help people maintain independence as they age.

Translation:

但它们并非灵丹妙药。它们或许能在未来的照护体系中占有一席之地，但更大的风险在于，政府和企业会借此逃避更艰难的改革——这些改革本应将照护工作视为关键基础设施来对待。这包括提高工资、支持希望居家养老的老人，以及专注于帮助人们随着年龄增长保持独立性的针对性技术方案。

Takeaway:

panacea n. something that people think will make everything better and solve all their problems 〔解决所有问题的〕万应灵丹，万全之策
dodge v. to deliberately avoid discussing something or doing something 〔故意〕避开，避免〔谈论某事或做某事〕

Japan, long a leader in industrial automation, has been trying to make eldercare robots happen for a long time. Despite the immense hype, headlines and millions of dollars in government funding, it has yielded mixed results. Ghosts of these past efforts are still being put to use. In one of the facilities I visited, Softbank Group Corp.’s since-discontinued Pepper slumped in the corner of a room before it was rebooted to conduct an exercise class — alongside a human handler who was doing the same motions right beside it. Some patients seemed genuinely drawn to a stuffed animal robotic toy that would coo and react to touch, but the artificial bark rang in my ears for hours afterward.

Translation:

作为工业自动化的长期领导者，日本多年来一直试图推动养老机器人的发展。尽管宣传铺天盖地、媒体头条不断，政府也投入了巨额资金，但结果喜忧参半。这些过往努力的”残影”仍在服役。在我参观的一家机构里，软银集团早已停产的Pepper机器人颓然倒在房间角落，重启后被用来带领健身课——旁边还有一位人类护理员做着同样的动作。一些患者似乎确实被一个会发出咕咕声、能对触摸作出反应的毛绒动物机器人玩具所吸引，但那人工合成的叫声在我耳边回响了好几个小时。

Takeaway:

hype n. attempts to make people think something is good or important by talking about it a lot on television, the radio etc – used to show disapproval 〔传媒的〕大肆宣传，炒作〔含贬义〕
yield v. to produce a result, answer, or piece of information 产生，得出〔结果、答案或资料〕
mixed adj. something that is good in some ways but bad in others 利弊兼有的事物
coo v. when doves or pigeons coo, they make a low soft cry 〔鸽子等〕咕咕地叫

In his 2023 bookRobots Won’t Save Japan, ethnographic researcher James Wright argues that the country’s costly push into eldercare automation often produced unintended consequences and, in some cases, more work for staffers. Much of the money might have been better spent elsewhere, he notes. But Wright’s fieldwork largely predates the AI shock that has breathed new life into this push.

Translation:

民族志研究者詹姆斯·赖特在2023年出版的《机器人救不了日本》一书中指出，日本代价高昂的养老自动化推进往往产生了意想不到的后果，在某些情况下甚至给工作人员增加了更多负担。他指出，大部分资金本可以更好地花在其他地方。但赖特的田野调查很大程度上是在为这一领域注入新活力的AI浪潮爆发之前完成的。

Takeaway:

ethnography n. the scientific description of different races of people 人种志，人种论
unintended adj. an unintended effect, result or meaning is one that you did not plan or intend to happen 非计划的；无意的；无心的
staffer n. someone who is paid to work for an organization 雇员；职员
predate v. to happen or exist earlier in history than something else 〔历史上〕早于…发生［出现］
breathe life into somethingto change a situation so that people feel more excited or interested 给某物注入新生命

Despite persistent stereotypes, Japan’s hasn’t widely embraced the idea of robots as friends. The country had the lowest share of respondents that said they were “extremely excited” about AI companions in an

Ipsos survey of 21 countries. It also had the highest share — 46% — of people who said they have not used an AI tool or application in the last 12 months. There is no doubt AI has the potential to revolutionize workflows, especially in care facilities. But those efforts might be better spent on easing caregivers’ administrative burdens than replacing their face time with patients.

Translation:

尽管存在长期以来的刻板印象，日本并未广泛接受将机器人视为朋友的观念。在益普索对21个国家进行的调查中，日本表示对AI伴侣”极其兴奋”的受访者比例最低。同时，该国表示在过去12个月内未使用过AI工具或应用的人群比例最高，达46%。毫无疑问，AI有潜力彻底革新工作流程，尤其是在照护机构中。但这些努力或许更应致力于减轻护理人员的行政负担，而非取代他们与患者面对面交流的时间。

At one nursing home, the hopes for the potential of AI companion toys from their creators and caregivers was contagious. Even loving families cannot be present 24 hours a day, and engaging with the stuffed toy seemed better than staring at a wall. The engineered friendliness of chatbots has sowed concerns for its impact on young users, but what if that drive for engagement is conversely useful if it’s aimed at keeping lonely seniors cognitively engaged?

Translation:

在一家养老院，创作者和护理人员对AI陪伴玩具潜力的期望颇具感染力。即便是充满爱心的家人也无法24小时陪伴，与毛绒玩具互动似乎总比盯着墙壁发呆要好。聊天机器人那种精心设计的亲和力引发了人们对其影响年轻用户的担忧，但如果将这种吸引互动的驱动力反过来用于让孤独老人保持认知活跃，是否会产生积极作用呢？

Takeaway:

contagious adj. a disease that is contagious can be passed from person to person by touch 〔疾病〕接触传染的
present adj. in a particular place 出席的，到场的；存在的 OPP absent
sow v. to do something that will cause a bad situation in the future 散布，激起〔会在将来产生不良影响的事物〕
conversely adv. used when one situation is the opposite of another 相反地；另一方面

Experimentation is spreading across Asia. In South Korea, government-led public welfare programs have distributed14,000 AI-powered “Hyodol” devices to elderly people, baby-sized plushies that use ChatGPT to communicate. In China, some retirees are turning to apps like ByteDance Ltd.’s Doubao for ordinary frustrations of aging, like deciphering tiny print on instruction manuals. Tencent Holdings Ltd. said last month that it has run more than 200 local workshops teaching seniors how to use its Yuanbao chatbot for tasks such as asking for life hacks and recipes. Beijing increasingly views the “silver economy” as a new growth engine, meaning there is also a lot of money to be made.

Translation:

类似的实验正在亚洲各地蔓延。在韩国，政府主导的公共福利项目已向老年人分发了1.4万台名为”孝朵”的AI设备——这些婴儿大小的毛绒玩具使用ChatGPT进行交流。在中国，一些退休人员正转向字节跳动旗下的豆包等应用，解决日常因衰老带来的困扰，比如辨认说明书上的小字。腾讯控股上个月表示，已举办了200多场社区工作坊，教老年人如何使用其元宝聊天机器人，例如询问生活窍门和食谱。北京日益将”银发经济”视为新的增长引擎，这意味着其中也蕴含着巨大的商机。一位全国政协委员告诉官方媒体，该市场到2035年可能达到4万亿美元。

Takeaway:

distribute v. to share things among a group of people, especially in a planned way 〔尤指有计划地〕分发，分配，分送
decipher v. to find the meaning of something that is difficult to read or understand 辨认；解释
sliver economy 银发经济

With worker shortages deepening across the region, governments are running out of time. The debate is often framed as a choice between technology and immigration. Policymakers, especially here in Tokyo, would be wise to accept more foreign workers to plug labor gaps, but that’s not a durable answer on its own. This is no longer just a Japan problem. By 2050, nearly all OECD countries will be “super-aged,” with more than 20% of their populations over 65. Asia’s scramble to care for an aging population is worth paying attention to as it offers a preview of the pressures much of the world will soon face.

Translation：

随着整个地区劳动力短缺日益加剧，各国政府正时间紧迫。这场辩论常被框定为技术与移民之间的选择。政策制定者，尤其是东京方面的，明智的做法是接受更多外国工人来填补劳动力缺口，但这本身并非一个持久的答案。这不再仅仅是日本的问题。到2050年，几乎所有经合组织国家都将进入”超级老龄化”阶段，65岁以上人口占比超过20%。亚洲为应对人口老龄化而做的努力值得关注，因为它为世界上大部分地区即将面临的压力提供了预演。

Takeaway:

plug v. to fill or block a small hole 把…塞住，堵塞；填塞
durable adj. staying in good condition for a long time, even if used a lot 耐用的
preview n. an occasion when you can see a film, play, painting etc before it is shown to the public 〔戏剧、电影等的〕预演，预映

As AI more broadly weasels its way into progressively intimate corners of our lives, companion bots seem like a well-meaning attempt to use the technology for good. But they’re just one tool in a kit that should have the larger goal of preserving dignity in old age and easing the burden of caregivers with whatever works — whether that’s more robots, or even luring bodybuildersto the profession, as one company in the manufacturing and shipping hub of Nagoya is doing.

Translation:

随着AI更广泛地渗透到我们生活中愈发私密的角落，陪伴机器人似乎是一种善意地利用技术造福人类的尝试。但它们只是工具箱中的一种工具，更大的目标应该是维护老年人的尊严，并以任何有效方式减轻护理人员的负担——无论是更多的机器人，还是像名古屋一家制造业和航运中心的公司那样，吸引健美运动员加入这一行业。

Takeaway:

well-meaning adj. intending to be helpful, but not succeeding 本意良好的，出于好意的〔但不成功〕
dignity n. the ability to behave in a calm controlled way even in a difficult situation 庄重，尊严，体面
ease v. if something unpleasant eases, or if you ease it, it gradually improves or becomes less 减轻；缓解
bodybuilder n. an activity in which you do hard physical exercise in order to develop big muscles 健美运动，健身

Automation still has a place here. Research published last year on Japanese nursing homes found that robot adoption reduced worker quit rates and was associated with better care quality. The findings were telling: Robots may raise productivity by shifting staff toward tasks involving “human touch, empathy and dexterity,” where humans still hold the clear advantage.

Translation:

自动化在这里仍有一席之地。去年发表的一项针对日本养老院的研究发现，采用机器人降低了员工离职率，并与更好的护理质量相关。研究结果颇具启示：机器人可能通过将工作人员转向涉及”人际接触、共情能力和灵巧操作”的任务来提高生产力，而在这些领域，人类仍具有明显优势。

Takeaway:

dexterity n. skill and speed in doing something with your hands 〔手的〕敏捷，灵巧，熟练

But one detail buried in research stood out: Care worker pay barely exceeded the minimum wage. Before investing millions more yen in robotic experiments, the next policy response might be to meaningfully lift wages as part of a broader effort to restore dignity and status to the work itself.

Translation：

但研究中一个被埋没的细节引人注目：护理工人的工资仅略高于最低工资。在投入更多资金进行机器人实验之前，下一步的政策回应或许应该是切实提高工资，作为更广泛努力的一部分，以恢复这项工作本身的尊严和地位。

Takeaway:

exceed v. to be more than a particular number or amount 超过，超出

the minimum wage: 最低工资

It seems inevitable that AI companions are coming into our parents and grandparents lives as they age. The test is whether they will serve as a useful support for human care, or a shiny excuse to abandon it.

Translation:

AI伴侣进入我们父母和祖父母的生活，似乎已不可避免。关键在于，它们将成为人类照护的有益补充，还是成为放弃人类照护的华丽借口。

Takeaway:

shiny adj. smooth and bright 光滑发亮的，闪光的

⭐文章原文来自《彭博社》，翻译内容转自AI

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