Uniting’s AI tool proves popular
The aged care provider’s use of an AI digital assistant has stolen the show during the department’s first tech-talk for the sector in 2025.
Aged care stakeholders were fascinated with Uniting NSW.ACT’s use of artifical intelligence during this week’s Digital Transformation Tech talk webinar.
Wednesday saw the Department of Health and Aged Care’s first tech-talk of 2025 for the aged care sector and IT professionals, and in addition to introducing AI, covered Support at Home integrations from Services Australia, and the department’s planned digital roadmap for the 1 July changes.
But it was Uniting NSW.ACT chief digital information officer Andrew Dome’s presentation on the provider’s implementation of a generative, persona-based AI program that flooded the interactive session with questions from viewers about use cases and ethical introduction of AI to aged care.
Uniting’s new AI digital assistant is similar to ChatGPT in that it uses prompts provided by the user to identify patterns and generate more data. It was built in partnership with Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab and AWARE.
In the presentation Mr Dome outlined the entire process that Uniting followed, including the development of a proof of concept, introduction of a feedback loop and how they discussed the idea with executives and the board.
He also emphasised the importance of ethics when beginning to introduce AI to the sector, giving the example that while the technology exists to use AI in developing care packages, it is not developed enough to ethically delegate that task entirely to AI.
Other topics covered at the webinar included:
- the digital transformation technical report timeline
- the single assessment system and the decision to soon discontinue relevant legacy apps
- the new Impact Assessment Tool project
- Support at Home integrations from Services Australia
The department also noted that they would soon open expressions of interest on the Impact Assessment Tool Project via the Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub. The project will be a collaboration between the department and providers on what potential impacts lay ahead, so the department can ensure the necessary tools are available. Assessment organisations, ICT vendors and experts will also be invited to collaborate.
The department also reminded attendees of the GPMS guide to digital changes for providers being available on their website for information and timelines on key digital changes, and of the Aged Care Digital Maturity Project, which will see providers invited to participate in an online survey to assess their digital maturity.
A recording of the webinar will be available soon, the department said, and the next digital tech talk will take place in April.
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