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人工智能可以帮助老人对抗孤单

　　Joyce Loaiza lives alone in a community for older people in the American state of Florida.

　　乔伊斯·洛艾萨独自住在美国佛罗里达州的一个老年人社区。

　　When she is home, the retired¹ office worker often talks with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

　　当她在家时，这位退休的公司职员经常与一个友好的女性声音交谈，该声音会询问她的一天。

　　A few kilometers away, the same voice helped 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died.

　　几公里外，当83岁的迪安娜·德泽恩的朋友去世时，同样的声音帮助了她。

　　In New York state, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent.

　　在纽约州，它为92岁的玛丽·布罗德本特播放游戏和音乐。

　　And in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.

　　在华盛顿州，它帮助83岁的简·沃雷尔结交新朋友。

　　The women are some of the first in the United States to receive the robot ElliQ made by Intuition Robotics.

　　这些女性是美国第一批接收由Intuition Robotics公司制造的机器人ElliQ的人。

　　The company and other officials say it is the only device using artificial intelligence (AI) to help older Americans from loneliness.

　　该公司和其他官员表示，这是唯一一款使用人工智能帮助美国老年人摆脱孤独的设备。

　　"It's entertaining. You can actually talk to her," said Loaiza who is 81.

　　81岁的洛艾萨说：“这很有趣。你真的可以和她说话。”

　　Her ElliQ calls her "Jellybean" for no clear reason.

　　她的ElliQ无缘无故地叫她“Jellybean”。

　　She said, "She'll make comments like, 'I would go outside if I had hands, but I can't hold an umbrella.'"

　　她说：“她会说，‘如果我有手，我就会出去，但我无法撑伞。’”

　　The device looks like a small table light and it has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and turns.

　　这款设备看起来像一个小台灯，它有一个无眼、无嘴的头部，可以发光和转动。

　　It remembers each user's interests and their talks, helping² create a special experience with each new discussion.

　　它能记住每个用户的兴趣和他们的谈话内容，为每次新讨论创造一种特殊的体验。

　　They can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as a small joke.

　　它们可以像生命的意义一样深刻，也可以像小笑话一样轻松。

　　ElliQ also plays music and provides creative or spiritual sayings.

　　ElliQ还可以播放音乐，提供创意或精神语录。

　　On a video screen that comes with it, it will show different cities and places of interest.

　　在它附带的视频屏幕上，它将显示不同的城市和名胜古迹。

　　The device leads exercises, asks about the owner's health, and gives reminders³ to take medicines and drink water.

　　该设备可以引导锻炼，询问主人的健康状况，并提醒人们服药和喝水。

　　It can also support video calls and contact family, friends, or doctors in an emergency.

　　它还可以支持视频通话，并在紧急情况下联系家人、朋友或医生。

　　Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner's device.

　　Intuition Robotics公司表示，该公司不会听到任何对话，信息会保存在每个用户的设备上。

　　Intuition Robotics chief executive office Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago.

　　Intuition Robotics公司首席执行官多尔·斯库勒表示，他八年前在以色列创办公司之前就产生了制造ElliQ的想法。

　　His grandfather who lost his partner needed an aide, but the first did not work out.

　　他失去伴侣的祖父需要一个助手，但第一个没有成功。

　　The next person, though, understood his grandfather's love of music and his special sense of humor.

　　然而，另一个人理解他祖父对音乐的热爱和他特殊的幽默感。

　　Skuler then thought a robot could fill the space of a friend by adapting to each person and their interests.

　　斯库勒认为，机器人可以通过适应每个人和他们的兴趣来填补朋友的空间。

　　He said, "That just did not exist anywhere."

　　他说，“这在任何地方都不存在。”

　　The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times a day and more than 90 percent report lower levels of loneliness, Skuler said.

　　斯库勒说，用户平均每天与ElliQ互动超过30次，超过90%的人报告说孤独感降低了。

　　The robots are mostly sent out by state agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington.

　　这些机器人大多是由纽约州、佛罗里达州、密歇根州、内华达州和华盛顿州的州级机构发送的。

　　But they can also be bought individually for $600 a year plus $250 to set it up.

　　但人们也可以单独购买，每年600美元，外加250美元的安装费用。

　　Skuler would not say how many ElliQs have been sent out so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.

　　斯库勒不愿透露到目前为止已经发出了多少ElliQ，但他的目标是在五年内发出超过10万个ElliQ。

　　Brigham Young University professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad studies the effects of loneliness on health.

　　杨百翰大学教授朱莉安·霍尔特-伦斯塔德研究了孤独对健康的影响。

　　Holt-Lunstad worries that a device like ElliQ might have short-term helpful effects but it could make people less likely to seek human contact.

　　霍尔特-伦斯塔德担心，诸如ElliQ之类的设备可能会在短期内产生有益的影响，但它可能会让人们不太愿意寻求人际交往。

　　She told The Associated Press that the difficult feeling of loneliness should push people to reconnect socially.

　　她告诉美联社，孤独感会推动人们重新建立社交联系。

　　Skuler and state officials agreed that ElliQ is not a replacement⁴ for human contact.

　　斯库勒和州政府官员一致认为，ElliQ不是人际交往的替代品。

　　But some older people cannot leave home or do not have many friends.

　　但有些老年人无法离开家，或者没有太多朋友。

　　Greg Olsen is director of the New York State Office for the Aging.

　　格雷格·奥尔森是纽约州老龄办公室主任。

　　His office has sent out 750 of the 900 ElliQs it received.

　　他的办公室已经发出了其收到的900份请求中的750份。

　　He said he wished that he could "make a person show up at the home of one of the many, many older adults that don't have any family or friends."

　　他说，他希望自己能“让一个人出现在许许多多没有家人或朋友的老年人的家中”。

　　Charlotte Mather-Taylor is director of the Broward County, Florida, Area Agency on Aging.

　　夏洛特·马瑟·泰勒是佛罗里达州布劳沃德县老龄问题研究地区机构的主任。

　　She said the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath left many older people more disconnected.

　　她说，新冠疫情及其后果使许多老年人更加与外界隔绝。

　　Her agency has provided 300 ElliQs which, she believes, help the situation.

　　她的机构已经提供了300个ElliQ，她认为这对缓解这种情况有所帮助。

　　She said, "We've seen very positive results with it. People generally like her and she makes them smile and brings joy."

　　她说：“我们看到了非常积极的结果。人们普遍喜欢她，她让他们微笑，给他们带来了快乐。”