The debate around artificial intelligence in healthcare often focuses on diagnostics, drug discovery and clinical decision-making. Increasingly, however, attention is turning to a more immediate challenge: how technology might help societies support growing numbers of older people living independently.
That question is at the centre of a new pilot involving Sentai, a conversational AI platform designed to support independent living, which has been selected for a University of Liverpool-backed programme exploring how AI can be integrated into real-world adult social care settings across the Liverpool City Region.
The three-month trial, funded through the Civic HealthTech Innovation Zone’s CareTech Developers Small Grants Programme, will involve care providers participating in the Liverpool City Region’s Adult Social Care Testbed. The initiative has been established by the University of Liverpool in partnership with the National Care Forum and is intended to generate evidence about how emerging care technologies can be deployed within live care environments.
The pilot comes as adult social care services face growing demographic pressures. According to figures cited by the programme, the number of people aged 75 and over in the UK is projected to almost double to nearly 10 million by 2039, increasing demand on local authorities, care providers and healthcare services.
Against that backdrop, policymakers and providers are increasingly exploring whether artificial intelligence can play a role in supporting more preventative and personalised approaches to care.
Moving beyond smart speakers
The use of voice technology in the home is hardly new, but supporters of conversational AI argue that purpose-built systems designed for wellbeing and independent living differ significantly from consumer devices primarily intended for entertainment and information retrieval.
The Sentai pilot will focus on how conversational AI can support ongoing engagement and routine interaction within care environments. Rather than relying on sensors, alarms or monitoring technologies, the approach centres on everyday conversations intended to help individuals maintain independence while providing care providers with a better understanding of changing needs.
The project reflects a broader trend within healthcare and social care, where AI is increasingly being explored as a tool for continuous support rather than episodic intervention.
As demand for services grows and workforce pressures intensify, technologies capable of helping care teams understand needs between visits are attracting growing attention. Advocates argue that such approaches could allow providers to prioritise support more effectively while helping people remain in their own homes for longer.
Building evidence before adoption
One of the recurring challenges facing AI deployment in healthcare and social care is the lack of robust evidence demonstrating how technologies perform outside controlled trials.
The Liverpool programme has been designed specifically to address that issue. Sentai is one of four organisations selected to participate, alongside MyHelpa, CareBrain and Carpe Care. Each company will work directly with adult social care providers while receiving support from the University of Liverpool’s Civic Health Innovation Labs and Virtual Engineering Centre.
Dr Annemarie Naylor, Director of HealthTech and Innovation Growth at the University of Liverpool, said the initiative aims to connect technology developers with care providers and academic expertise to generate practical evidence that can inform future decision-making.
The focus on evidence generation reflects increasing caution among commissioners and policymakers. While interest in AI continues to grow, many organisations remain reluctant to adopt new technologies without clear demonstrations of effectiveness, usability and impact within real-world environments.
A test for AI in social care
The pilot also illustrates how the conversation around AI is evolving. Rather than asking whether artificial intelligence can support social care, organisations are increasingly examining how, where and under what conditions it can deliver meaningful value.
For providers facing rising demand and constrained resources, the attraction is clear. Technologies that help identify emerging needs earlier, support independence and improve the allocation of staff time could potentially ease some of the pressures facing the sector.
Whether conversational AI can deliver those outcomes remains to be proven. That is precisely why programmes such as the Liverpool City Region Adult Social Care Testbed are gaining importance.
As populations age and pressure on care services continues to grow, the success of AI in social care may ultimately depend less on technological capability and more on the quality of evidence demonstrating that it can improve people’s lives in practical, measurable and trusted ways.
