Data-Driven AI in Social Care Wales: Identifying Gaps and Opportunities

Abstract

This study presents a narrative synthesis of the available evidence of the role of data-driven artificial intelligence
(AI) in shaping social care in Wales, UK. The increasing integration of AI technologies across various sectors has raised critical
questions about their potential impact on social care services, particularly concerning decision-making processes, ethical
considerations, and the overall quality of care provided to vulnerable populations. While AI has been widely adopted in
healthcare and other industries, its application within social care remains relatively underexplored with limited empirical
evidence regarding its effectiveness in supporting professionals, caregivers, and service users, making it imperative to
establish a solid evidence base to guide future implementation and policy decisions. Data collection involved comprehensive
searches across multiple databases, including SCOPUS, PubMed, Social Care Online, and Google Scholar, alongside grey
literature to ensure a thorough review of existing studies. The search strategy utilised specific keywords related to 'Artificial
Intelligence' or ‘AI’, 'Social Care', and other relevant terms such as ‘data-driven’ or ‘data driven’, ‘old age’, ‘caregivers’, and
‘service users’, combined primarily using the Boolean operator 'AND,' with selective use of 'OR' to refine results, particularly
around the topic of 'old age.' This focused approach yielded 642 studies, with 148 addressing AI in Social Care. Following
rigorous screening, 22 studies were ultimately included, revealing substantial variability in quality, settings, and outcomes.
Majority of studies focused on older people in care settings. While some studies demonstrated that AI could enhance
efficiency, personalise care, and ease caregiver burdens, others highlighted significant ethical and practical obstacles. Key
concerns included data privacy and security, algorithm biases, the digital divide, and a lack of trust and understanding of
emerging technologies among older adults. Findings suggest AI has the potential to revolutionise social care, improving
outcomes for service users, caregivers, and professionals, and highlight the need for evidence-based policymaking to
integrate AI into social care and focus on long-term studies and interdisciplinary collaboration to address ethical and
accessibility issues in the future.