應用機器人於高齡照護的倫理考量

Ethical Consideration in the Use of Robotics for Geriatric Care

根據國家發展委員會統計與推估，台灣在2017年時人口金字塔結構翻轉，老年人口數將超過幼年人口數；2018年老年人口比率達到14%成為高齡社會，2026年時將達20%進入超高齡社會。需要被照護的老年人口不斷增加，而照護主力的青壯年工作人口比例持續下降，年輕老人照顧年長老人的現象成為常態，是台灣面臨的問題，也是全球性問題。因應少子、高齡、人力老化的三項趨勢，全球興起以機器人因應照護人力需求大增的創新服務，以迎接超高齡社會的各種挑戰。機器人參與高齡照護，協助日常活動、居家清潔、復健、遠端照護、安全監護、娛樂與溝通。使得倫理學者迫切想要暸解人對機器人所產生的社會性與情感反應，特別是對社交機器人，探索機器人在照護上該扮演什麼角色，有別於人類所能提供的獨特照護功能。也更想確認在運用機器人解決照護人力短缺的決策上，人類是否確實是獲益，而面對可能存在的風險又該如何因應。本文奠基於人權與尊嚴兩大信念，綜合相關文獻觀點，從欺騙（Deception）、尊嚴（Dignity）、隱私（Privacy）與安全（Safety）等角度提出倫理思辨與探討。

According to the National Development Council's statistics and estimation, the population pyramid structure will be reversed in the year 2017 in Taiwan, and the aging population will exceed the young population in number. The aging population in the year 2018 will account for about 14% and 20% by the year 2026. The caring needs for the aging population are increasing, but the main caring force of the middle age population is continuously decreasing. It becomes a normal situation for the junior aging individual to take care of the senior aging individual, which is a problem the Taiwanese society is facing that may also be a global issue. Due to the three trends of a shrinking young generation, an increasing aging population, and an aging work force, caring services through robotics are a global innovative solution to the societal challenge of aging population. Robots can assist seniors with activities in their daily lives, such as home cleaning, rehabilitation, telecare, safety monitoring, entertainment, and communication. Researchers in ethics studies urgently wanted to know about the seniors' social and emotional responses to the care of these robots. This paper explores the roles of robots in caring, which are differentiated from the unique caring functions of the human. The researchers wanted to know if the human really derives benefits from the decision of utilizing robots to solve the issue of a caring workforce shortage, as well as how to handle possible existing risks. Based on the beliefs of human rights and human dignity, the author summarizes with a literature review and provides an ethical analysis and exploration of the topic from the angles of deception, dignity, privacy, and safety.