Home Care Workers Lack Awareness of AI's Impact and Opportunities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into home healthcare settings, offering potential benefits such as improved efficiency and better matching of care provisions. However, many frontline home care workers—including personal care aides, home health aides, and certified nursing assistants—remain largely unaware of AI's presence and how these technologies influence their work. A recent study by researchers at Cornell University highlights a significant knowledge gap: while agency staff often know about AI applications like shift-matching systems, the workers directly involved tend to lack understanding of these tools, their data usage, and the potential for bias.

The study involved interviews with 22 home care workers, care agency staff, and worker advocates, revealing that most home care workers did not realize AI systems were already in use, particularly through algorithmic matching that assigns shifts based on various factors such as availability and location. Participants recognized the efficiency gains offered by AI, especially given the industry’s labor shortages, but were often unaware of the risks, including the possibility of these systems perpetuating discrimination against marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and immigrants.

Co-author Ian René Solano-Kamaiko emphasized the importance of transparency and oversight, noting that many workers mistakenly trust AI tools because they improve operational outcomes, despite not understanding if these tools operate fairly. The research underscores the urgent need for participatory governance frameworks that include all stakeholders—especially those directly affected—to ensure ethical and equitable AI deployment in home care.

Furthermore, the study advocates for stakeholder-first educational approaches that focus not solely on technical AI literacy but on contextual understanding. This strategy aims to empower home care workers with the knowledge necessary to critically assess AI’s role and influence without requiring extensive technical expertise.

Addressing these issues is vital to prevent reinforcement of existing inequalities and to promote more equitable AI implementation, safeguarding the rights and well-being of both care providers and recipients.

For more information, see the full study titled "Who is running it? Towards Equitable AI Deployment in Home Care Work" published in the Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.