Psychological Harm: Conceptual Challenges and Directions for Research and Policy

Welcome to the fifth episode of The Silver lAIning, a SAINTS Podcast. Hope you enjoyed our previous conversation with Professor Ibrahim Habli and Dr. Laura Fearnley, where we explored the ethics of AI and the emerging threat of AI-driven psychological harm. During that episode, we referenced the ground-breaking work of Decision Scientist and Policy Analyst Professor Magda Osman.

In this episode we unpack the big question: How do we protect older adults from psychological harm when experts can’t even agree on its definition in a digital age?

We also explore the many pathways to psychological impact from smart technologies, how this applies to AI and older people, the challenges with its measurement and some recommendations for researchers and policy makers, as we navigate an increasing number of IoT devices in everyday living.