AI is reshaping industries, from healthcare to marketing, yet the gap between AI’s capabilities and consumer trust remains a defining challenge. Caregivers -- individuals caring for a loved one -- represent an emerging group with notably higher trust in AI, suggesting a shift toward purpose-driven engagement with technology.
As AI becomes more embedded in our daily experiences, its adoption isn’t just about efficiency -- it’s about building solutions that resonate with human needs.
Caregivers: The AI-Empowered Consumer
Iris Flex’s AI Gap Study highlights a fascinating trend -- caregivers demonstrate higher trust in AI and are more willing to share personal data for a personalized experience (49% of caregivers vs. 41% of U.S. adults). This suggests that when AI serves a clear, purpose-driven need, trust can follow.
Several key factors shape caregivers’ engagement with AI:
- Personalization & Curiosity: AI recommendations tailored to caregiving needs can reinforce willingness to try AI tools. While 6 in 10 U.S. adults question the accuracy of results they get from AI, for caregivers who want to uncover every source for their loved one, AI search engines can serve much needed information. With personal AI use higher than average (77% vs. 71%) and a demonstrated curiosity for new technologies (47% vs. 39%), caregivers are naturally inclined toward exploring AI-driven innovations. Their affinity for tools like search engines and productivity applications highlights their proactive nature and openness to new solutions.
- Efficiency & Time-Saving: For these caregivers who are predominantly busy, employed women over 40, AI offers a way to streamline research, save time, and manage their responsibilities efficiently -- whether through voice apps, smart devices, or productivity tools.
- Tech Familiarity: Their above-average familiarity with smart devices (e.g., speakers, wearables, thermostats) and voice-first apps indicates a comfort level with integrating tech into daily life. This familiarity reduces barriers to adopting AI tools, making them an extension of their existing habits.
What about the patients? Wouldn’t they want to benefit from AI when looking up symptoms, treatments or daily living information? According to the study, patients' use of AI aligns closely with the U.S. average, reflecting the general public’s skepticism toward AI-generated messaging, products and services. How can we make AI more familiar and accessible to both patient and caregiver populations?
The Need for Inclusive Experiences, by Design
People embrace innovation when it feels accessible, relevant and built for their needs. Lessons in making AI more familiar and engaging for patients can be drawn from another field that has tackled user hesitation head-on: VR.
Some of the answers come from those who have been designing equitable experiences for patients, using VR. This is a technology that is more closely known to gamers, artists and those who enjoy immersive experiences. It offers sensory-rich journeys, to those who can maneuver the headsets and enjoy being pulled into deeply interactive scenarios. Pia Behmuaras, a VR designer with a global portfolio of work, shares how she has made her work inclusive and succeeded in pulling in those who were hesitant to jump into the unknown and even feared ‘the new.’ Her work in VR accessibility offers valuable parallels to AI adoption. She explains that in therapeutic settings, VR is only effective when tailored to user needs - reinforcing the idea that technology succeeds when designed for inclusivity, not dexterity. Here are Pia’s tips for technology adoption:
- Multi-User Collaboration: VR platforms allow moderators (such as therapists) to adjust sensory elements. AI has the potential to do something similar in healthcare -- dynamically adjusting content, treatments, or user interfaces based on individual patient needs. This could lead to higher engagement by making experiences more relevant and tailored to each person.
- Sensory & Cognitive Considerations: VR designs adjust audio, color and motion for neurodivergent users. Similarly, AI trainers must anticipate barriers in user experience and ensure the users can modify the systems to their needs in physically accessible and psychologically safe environments.
- Pacing: VR onboarding requires careful pacing to avoid alienating users. AI adoption also hinges on transparency and intuitive design. Acknowledging users’ comfort levels and aspirations, breaking tasks into achievable steps is likely to reduce fear of adoption and upskilling among populations who are not typically tech savvy.
- Role Playing with Avatars: AI personas and characters are emerging in virtual reality environments, with a transformative power as well as a great design burden. As these AI agents in VR settings increasingly behave like humans and get to have regular conversations with users, they need to be carefully designed, monitored and regulated. These avatars can be used for training, education and even therapeutic use cases, with expert guidance to provide the most effective and scalable results.
Personal & Accessible: Keys for Inclusive AI Experiences
For brands and organizations deploying AI-driven solutions, the key takeaway is clear -- trust isn’t an accident; it’s built through purpose-driven innovation.
- Make AI personal - caregivers embrace AI that solves real problems and they are willing to give new tools a try to find solutions for their loved ones. Develop branded content to be part of the solutions they discover and explore with AI.
- Design for inclusivity - Accessibility in VR shows that trust grows when technology is intuitive, adaptable and user-centric—the same must apply to AI interfaces.
- Be transparent - Consumers, especially caregivers, value ethical, sustainable AI applications—a growing expectation across audience groups and industries.
As AI continues to evolve, it can borrow lessons from accessibility-focused tech to create truly human-centric experiences. Caregivers demonstrate that trust in AI grows when technology serves a clear, purpose-driven need. Inclusive VR experiences remind us that successful technology starts by listening to the needs of its users and adoption happens when users feel empowered. AI can follow the same path -- making its benefits more tangible, personalized and accessible.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
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