New research by Dr Ekaterina Hertog, Associate Professor of AI and Society (jointly appointed with the Oxford Internet Institute (OII)), alongside Dr Lulu Shi and Lily Rodel, highlights both the promise and the risks of integrating digital technologies into unpaid care work in their recently published article ‘The risks and opportunities of adopting digital technologies as part of unpaid care’.
As families increasingly rely on tools such as parenting apps, remote monitoring systems, and communication platforms to support care, the study, published in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of how these technologies are reshaping everyday caregiving.
Drawing on existing research across the Global North and urban China, the authors show that digital care technologies can enhance care by improving coordination between caregivers, enabling remote support, and providing access to information and online communities. For many, these tools offer greater flexibility and convenience in managing complex care responsibilities.
However, the study also identifies a range of ethical and social challenges that require urgent attention.
- A key concern is inequality. Access to and effective use of digital care technologies is uneven, often reflecting existing divides in income, gender, and digital skills. Without intervention, these tools risk reinforcing, rather than reducing, disparities in care.
- Privacy is another major issue. Within families, digital monitoring can blur traditional boundaries, raising questions about autonomy and consent. At the same time, sensitive care data is increasingly collected and processed by technology companies, creating risks around data commodification and lack of transparency.
- The researchers also highlight the emergence of what they term “transcendent caregiving”, the ability to provide care across distance using digital tools. While this can support carers who are geographically separated, it may also intensify the “always-on” nature of care, contributing to stress and burnout.
- In addition, the growing “datafication” of care—where aspects of caregiving are translated into measurable indicators—may unintentionally reduce complex, emotional relationships to simplified metrics, potentially undermining the human dimensions of care.
The authors conclude that digital care technologies are most beneficial when they augment, rather than replace, human interaction. They call for stronger regulatory frameworks tailored specifically to care technologies, alongside policies that address digital inequalities and safeguard privacy.
Dr Hertog notes that as these technologies become embedded in everyday life, ensuring they are designed and governed in ways that support dignity, autonomy, and meaningful human connection will be critical.
The findings contribute to ongoing debates about the ethical development and deployment of AI and digital technologies in intimate and socially vital domains such as care.
The research is published in The Oxford Review of Economic Policy.