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Examining public acceptance of AI versus human-centric dementia care across NHS England's dementia pathway stages

There are over five-hundred-thousand individuals with recorded dementia diagnoses in England, highlighting an urgent need for scalable and effective care solutions to ease pressure on health and social care systems. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled smart home systems are emerging as promising digital health innovations, offering cognitive support, real-time monitoring, and decision-making assistance. However, concerns around trust, user agency, and misconceptions about AI continue to limit acceptance and may…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-1714· cite & verify
Examining public acceptance of AI versus human-centric dementia care across NHS England's dementia pathway stages
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In brief

A repeated-measures vignette study asked people aged 55-64 to rate AI-based and human-based dementia care scenarios. The scenarios varied by stage of the NHS England Dementia Well Pathway and by whether the system gave moderate support or full control. Participants rated both acceptability and how plausible each scenario was.

The results suggest public support for AI in dementia care depends on keeping human involvement and personal agency, especially as the condition progresses. Because the evidence is based on attitudes toward hypothetical vignettes in one age group, it does not show how such systems would perform or be received in real care settings.

Main points

  1. Acceptability depended on both care stage and whether the system was AI-centric or human-centric.
  2. Full human involvement was consistently rated more acceptable, while AI was viewed more favourably only at moderate involvement levels.
  3. The gap between AI and human care widened in later stages, with full-control AI rated least acceptable.
  4. Human-centric scenarios were judged more likely to occur than AI-centric ones, particularly in later stages.
  5. Acceptance was highest when AI augmented rather than replaced human input.

The problem

Participants rated full-control AI least acceptable in later dementia care stages such as Living well and Dying well, signalling trust and autonomy barriers to adoption.

The rundown

The study's background notes that over five-hundred-thousand people in England have recorded dementia diagnoses, creating pressure for scalable care solutions. AI-enabled smart home systems are presented as one possible response, offering cognitive support, real-time monitoring and decision-making assistance.

The design crossed three dimensions: care stage aligned with the NHS England Dementia Well Pathway, system centrism (AI versus human), and level of involvement (moderate support versus full control). Participants aged 55-64 were chosen as a group at elevated risk of developing dementia or meeting these technologies within the next decade.

Perceived likelihood was higher under moderate involvement. The authors conclude that trust, autonomy and public understanding matter, and that their findings support hybrid models that preserve agency while enhancing scalability.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedPLOS Digital Health2026-10-08

The debate