The Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford—through its Accelerator Fellowship Programme—and FamTech.org, a leading organisation representing technology-enabled solutions for families and caregivers, are pleased to announce a new collaboration to promote the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence in caregiving.
Robotics and AI are beginning to reshape how care is delivered, both at home and in institutional settings, creating new possibilities for caregivers and the people they support. But progress in care isn’t just about what technology can do: it’s about how thoughtfully we choose to build it. This collaboration brings together academic rigour and technology entrepreneurship to ensure that caregivers, families, and those receiving care are not just considered, but actively involved in shaping the future of care technology.
The first milestone of this partnership is the Caregiving AI Responsibility Initiative (CARI)—a pilot programme that establishes caregiving as a high-risk AI domain, develops practical ethical guardrails grounded in real-world contexts, and delivers actionable guidance to funders, policymakers, and investors. CARI lays the foundation for a long-term ambition: the establishment of a Centre for Caregiving Innovation at the University of Oxford, a global, interdisciplinary hub for responsible care technology.
“AI has significant potential to transform caregiving, but this must be shaped by robust ethical frameworks and grounded in the realities of care. Through this partnership, we are expanding our work beyond the UK—collaborating closely with partners in the United States, Germany, and beyond—to ensure innovation in this space is both responsible and responsive to those it is designed to support.”
— Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green, Director of Research, Institute for Ethics in AI, and Lead of the Accelerator Fellowship Programme
"At FamTech.org, we work every day with innovators, funders, and partners to increase the rate of scale and innovation across the care economy. What that work has shown us, and what careworkers tell us directly, is that ethical AI is not a nice-to-have; it is the commercial infrastructure on which a healthy, fundable caregiving industry must be built. This partnership with the Institute for Ethics in AI is how we lay that groundwork: creating frameworks that give investors confidence, give innovators direction, and give careworkers and families the trustworthy technology they deserve."
— Anna Steffeney, Executive Director, FamTech.org
CARI will focus on five core areas:
- Partnership framework and strategy: Co-developing a practical framework that defines ethical principles, roles, and responsibilities, alongside a strategy for engaging US and global partners, funders, and early adopters
- Community engagement and participatory research: Facilitating research sessions with caregivers and older adults across US markets to gather direct feedback on ethical AI development practices
- Network activation and pilot recruitment: Building a network of collaborators to implement framework strategies in real time, creating a feedback loop that drives continuous improvement in care technology
- Practical guidance and policy analysis: Producing actionable resources for innovators, briefing materials for funders, and analysis of US market barriers and implementation pathways
- Dissemination and real-world impact: Sharing findings through academic publications, sector communications, and live events—including the Oxford Care Summit on 26 March 2026 and virtual convenings for global stakeholders
By grounding ethical principles in real-world care contexts and translating them into actionable guidance, this partnership aims to enable responsible, scalable AI innovation in caregiving—building toward a future where technology and human compassion work in concert to improve lives worldwide.
Notes for Editors
Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green is available for interviews. For more information, please contact: aiethicscomms@philosophy.ox.ac.uk
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth-year running, and number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing £15.7 billion to the UK economy in 2018/19, and supports more than 28,000 full time jobs.
About the Institute for Ethics in AI
The Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford is dedicated to rigorous philosophical and interdisciplinary research into the ethical and governance challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Through its Accelerator Fellowship Programme and wider partnerships, the Institute bridges academic inquiry and real-world practice.
About the Accelerator Fellowship Programme, Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford:
The Accelerator Fellowship Programme hosted by the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI, is a pioneering initiative addressing the ethical challenges posed by AI technologies. As AI continues to reshape societies worldwide, the programme’s mission is to build a leading AI ethics hub, one that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, in order to seek innovative solutions to the ethical challenges of AI.
About FamTech.org
FamTech.org is the leading hub for technology innovation in the U.S. care economy, connecting founders, investors, and ecosystem partners to build and scale solutions for families and caregivers. Through a growing community of 250+ members, curated programs, and 25+ annual events, FamTech.org is helping power a movement to make care more accessible, innovative, and truly valued across the United States.