The Future of Smart Elderly Care: Significance and Pathways of AI Integration in Age-Friendly Spaces

With the global trend of an aging population intensifying, providing high-quality and sustainable elderly care has become a crucial challenge for governments and societies worldwide. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents new opportunities for enhancing traditional age-friendly space design and eldercare models. AI enhances daily convenience and safety for older adults through diverse sensing and interactive approaches, alleviates the caregiving burden on families and society, and drives interdisciplinary innovation in the eldercare industry. Drawing on literature reviews and case studies, this paper explores the practical value, challenges, and potential responses to AI integration in age-friendly spaces. From the perspectives of spatial planning, interaction design, and ethics, we critically examine AI’s potential benefits and pitfalls. Based on these insights, we propose phased, multi-layered strategies and design recommendations for the effective implementation of AI in future smart elderly care environments, offering a reference point for academic inquiry and practical application.