The Future of Aged Care in Australia: Having No AI Strategy IS an AI Strategy

Whether you plan for it or not, AI is already shaping the future of aged care. From biometric sensors to predictive diagnostic tools, from virtual care companions to intelligent rostering systems, artificial intelligence is quietly embedding itself into every layer of aged care delivery. The question is no longer if AI will impact your organisation, but how you will respond when it does.

In our discussion, we explore why having no AI strategy is, in effect, an AI strategy. Inaction is a decision. In a sector where the stakes are deeply human: life, death, health, wellbeing and connection; leaders must confront the reality that AI will influence every touchpoint of how we care.

Biomedical devices will stream real-time data to cloud-based dashboards and use AI to interpret and influence decision making. Vendors will offer AI-enhanced services by default and many of those capabilities will be inherited AI. Governments will regulate and fund based on algorithmic insights. Families will expect digital transparency. Staff will rely on intelligent tools to manage workloads and improve outcomes. Boards will want observability over clinical risk, performance and data driven decision making.

In this emerging landscape, aged care is not just being digitised, it is being reimagined. New service models are forming around ambient monitoring, virtual visitation, and predictive health interventions. Facilities are being designed with embedded floor to ceiling smart infrastructure and way-finding; anticipating the needs of residents three, five, ten years into the future. In rural and remote settings, digital first models and AI-driven diagnostics are bridging gaps once thought insurmountable.

This presentation will challenge leaders to think beyond compliance and efficiency. It will explore how co-designing innovation with front line staff and consumers can unlock new paradigms of how we care. It will showcase examples of providers using AI not just to automate, but to humanise the industry – enhancing empathy, personalisation, and trust.

Ultimately, the future of aged care in Australia will be shaped by those who embrace AI agents not as a tool, but as a partner in your workforce. The organisations that thrive will be those that proactively define the role they want to play in this future and develop an AI strategy that enables them to lead with purpose, adapt with agility, and deliver care that is both innovative and deeply human.