BabaCare: Testing a Care Copilot

Purpose

Baba is a novel AI "care copilot" designed to improve emotional well-being, cognitive stimulation, and social connection through emotionally present conversations, proactive engagement, and personalized communication. Unlike many existing solutions, Baba operates through SMS text and voice calls, requiring no apps, Wi-Fi, or new devices, making it particularly accessible to older adults.

Conditions

  • Loneliness
  • Mood

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 65 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Lives alone - Responds "occasionally" or "most" to the exhaustion questionnaire: 1. "How often in the last week did you feel that everything you did was an effort?" 2. "How often in the last week did you feel that you could not get going?" - Willingness and ability to regularly engage with Baba for 12 weeks

Exclusion Criteria

  • Significant cognitive impairment that prevents consent or participation - Inability to communicate via SMS or phone - Severe hearing or speech impairment precluding use of voice interaction

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Receives calls from BABA 		Participants will receive daily or near-daily AI calls over a 12 week period.
  • Other: AI phone companion
    Baba uses a fine-tuned large language model to hold conversations with older adults and analyze tone, sentiment shifts, and emotional cues. The system logs call summaries and risk flags for caregiver review and tracks changes over time.

Recruiting Locations

Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus
Baltimore, Maryland 21224
Contact:
JACQUELINE M LANGDON, M.S.
410-550-2052
jlangdon@jhmi.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Johns Hopkins University

Study Contact

JACQUELINE M LANGDON, M.S.
410-550-2052
jlangdon@jhmi.edu

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and preliminary impact of the Baba platform among older adults. This study will examine how older adults interact with Baba, how it integrates into the older adult's daily lives, and whether it contributes to improvements in well-being, cognitive engagement, and self-management. Findings will inform the feasibility of AI companions in supporting independent aging.