Multidisciplinary Innovation Chair in AI and Social Robotics: Transforming practices and acculturating care service professionals and users – CAIRHOS

The CAIRHOS Chair (Chair for Multidisciplinary Innovation in AI and Social Robotics in Healthcare) is a four-year initiative aimed at advancing the responsible, inclusive, and effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Socially Assistive Robotics (SARs) in healthcare. Led by Dr. Maribel Pino and hosted by Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris and Université Paris Cité, the Chair bridges academic research and clinical practice to deliver concrete, scalable solutions for hospitals, home care, and long-term care settings.
What sets CAIRHOS apart is its field-driven, cross-disciplinary approach—bringing together technology, medicine, ethics, and the social sciences. It is embedded in real-life care environments and developed in close collaboration with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and engineers. This integration ensures that innovations are clinically relevant, socially acceptable, and adapted to end-user needs. The Chair directly addresses three core challenges in the regulation of healthcare AI: privacy, bias, and informed consent. These are tackled through applied ethics, stakeholder workshops, and legal reviews aligned with EU regulations, including the AI Act and GDPR.
CAIRHOS is built on a strong public–private partnership grounded in operational realities. Its governance includes a Steering Committee made up of founding members to oversee strategic coordination, and a Scientific and Ethical Advisory Committee to guide research quality and ethical compliance. Activities are structured around three key pillars: (1) research and development, (2) training and skills-building, and (3) dissemination and sustainability.
The Chair develops AI and SAR tools tailored to healthcare contexts, which are co-designed with users to ensure usability, safety, and trust. Their impact is measured using robust Health Technology Assessment (HTA) methods. A core focus is increasing AI literacy through training programs for healthcare staff, caregivers, and patients, along with the development of university-level courses and a dedicated diploma.
Founding members benefit directly from the Chair’s outputs. Enchanted Tools, an SME specializing in embodied AI, will test and refine its robots in real-world care settings, speeding up product validation and market access. Fondation Santé Service, France’s largest home care provider, helps assess these tools in practice while improving staff training and service efficiency. France Alzheimer ensures the Chair’s focus on inclusion and ethical use, especially in dementia care, and helps shape public awareness and policy. AP-HP will use CAIRHOS to embed AI and robotics into hospital care strategies and research, reinforcing its leadership in healthcare innovation.
By project end, CAIRHOS aims to be a national and European reference for ethical, inclusive, and practice-based AI and robotics in health. Through its integrated model, close ties with care systems, and commitment to impact, the Chair contributes to building a sustainable and trustworthy innovation ecosystem for the future of care.