Evaluation of Acceptance of Synthetic Memory Technology in Rehabilitation for People With Memory Loss
Keywords: Synthetic memory, memory loss, artificial intelligence, survey, technology acceptance, reminiscence therapy
Overview of Research
Reminiscence therapy is a treatment that helps people, especially older adults, recall and talk about their past experiences. It is especially helpful for people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, as it helps them stay connected to their identity and past experiences, even if their short-term memory is affected. Reminiscence therapy has been proven to positively improve people’s quality of life.
Researchers have recently explored the potential of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in reminiscence therapy. One method is to use AI-image generation to recreate a person’s memories based on descriptions of a specific memory from an individual. AI-image generation or an image-generating tool, is a technology that uses AI to create pictures. You can think of it as a smart tool that can print or draw images on its own. In this case, we will use this image-generating tool to generate your memories in images based on your descriptions of a specific memory. These images should effectively and accurately reflect your described memory. These generated images are known as synthetic memory. A preliminary study has shown that synthetic memory can enhance cognitive well-being, stimulate memory recall, and foster emotional connections among older adults. However, no study has investigated the acceptance of the use of this image-generating tool to recreate a person’s memory.
This study aims to understand the acceptance of the use of image-generating tools to recreate a person’s memory and its related ethical perspectives.
This project is collaborating with the Domestic Data Streamers Team from Barcelona.
Research Team
Alex Mihailidis, Ph.D. P.Eng. (University of Toronto)
Bing Ye, (University of Toronto)
Julie Robillard, Ph.D., (UBC)
James McDonough, (McMaster University)
