What if the person—or thing—looking after you in your old age isn’t human at all? It’s a question that’s moved from science fiction to today’s headlines, and it’s exactly what Julia Ross explores in The Laughing Robot, her gripping novel about a disillusioned social worker named Anna who escapes to the Isle of Wight only to find herself caught up in a controversial government experiment using AI robots to care for the elderly.
Ross, Chair of the British Association of Social Workers UK, will discuss the novel at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival 2025—and the timing couldn’t be more relevant. “People worry about the future, especially how robots will work in health and social care,” says Ross. “They’re nervous, frightened even. Older people and families are also very worried about who is going to look after them when they get older.”
Their fears aren’t unfounded. Real-world developments in 2025 mirror Ross’s fictional “carebots” with startling accuracy. MIT just...
