Year-long AI Surveillance Pilot in Two South Australian Aged Care Facilities Reportedly Overwhelmed Staff with False Positives

A federally-funded CCTV trial was conducted at two South Australian aged care homes (Mount Pleasant District Hospital and Northgate House) over 12 months beginning in March 2021. The $785,000 trial used artificial intelligence technology designed to detect falls and screams through cameras and audio devices installed in common areas and bedrooms (with consent from 41 of 57 residents). The AI system was programmed to capture video and audio and alert staff when excessive sounds or movements were detected. However, the system generated over 12,000 false alerts across both sites, with many triggered by staff crouching or bending down to care for residents. The high volume of false alerts overwhelmed already overworked staff, and in the final months of the trial, staff could not respond to every alert. This resulted in at least one instance where staff did not respond to an actual fall. Despite improvements over time, with the system detecting 22% of actual events in the final three months compared to less than 2% initially, an independent audit by PwC found the AI technology was 'not yet sufficiently accurate at detecting incidents in a residential aged care setting' and did not achieve acceptable accuracy levels for staff and management.