First came the Post-It note. Then artificial intelligence. In the past decade, we have come to rely on programs like MS Calendar with its timely pop-up reminders to help us keep it all together: thanks to this discreet helper, we come prepared to important meetings, show up for dentist appointments and mail AuntWilma’s birthday card on time. Those of us with home automation systems get an additional AI memory boost: the house reminds us via speakers or touch screens that it’s time to replace the smoke detector battery or that today we need to pick up our girls at 4:30 from ballet class. As our lives become more complex and dizzying, these memory aids, like an efficient personal assistant, help us stay on task and follow through on our best intentions ("Of course I remembered our anniversary, Honey!").

But HA systems can do more than simply remind us of upcoming tasks, like our PC’s Calendar program; they can also provide an extra set of eyes and ears when we are away from our house and take action, sending us an email or phone call to report that the kids have arrived home from school, or alert us and the police of a break-in. Home automation allows homeowners to be in two places at once; we can check live home security cameras from the office or hotel and change our thermostat, lighting or security settings with the stroke of a keypad. Home automation acts an invisible security guard/house sitter.

In addition, many homeowners use their HA systems as a virtual nanny. Dad can be alerted at the office if his teenager has arrived home with friends and whether certain cupboards (think liquor cabinet) have been opened or smoke has been detected. He can even talk to his kids, much to their dismay, via speakers throughout the house. If this sounds a bit creepy and reminiscent of Big Brother, just wait until your kids reach adolescence; Big Brother will be your best friend.

Recently, as announced on PBS, home automation has been taken to another level; it is now being used as a virtual full-time attendant for the mentally and physically disabled, allowing them to live independently in their homes. Carnegie-Mellon’s Robotic Department teamed up with the University of Pennsylvania to develop a Smart Home for people who need intensive memory aids and guidance. The brain of this smart home first learns the unique daily habits of the patients, then guides them through voice recordings to complete actions such as cooking or taking their medication if they get distracted or forget the proper sequence.

In these Smart Homes, if the stove is left on or the shower not turned off even after a voice alert, the house will send a signal to a nearby relative to alert him of the problem. Relatives can go online to track the movements of loved ones in the house and view them via room cameras. In case of an emergency such as a fall, the house would immediately alert both the relative and paramedics if the patient failed to get up. In Pennsylvania these new Smart Homes are being installed for people with early Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and other disabilities, allowing them the luxury of living independently.

These advances raise the question: has artificial intelligence gone too far? When we start replacing our loved ones’ flesh and blood caregivers with security cameras and voice recordings have we lost something innately human? In cultures with extended families living under the same roof, care giving was rarely outsourced, and never to a machine. But in our society where independence is prized over familial closeness and relatives cannot afford to either quit their jobs or hire full time caretakers, Smart Homes offer a welcome solution. Moreover, in our doggedly self-reliant culture, our sense of self worth hinges on our ability to fend for ourselves and not depend on others. Artificial intelligence allows us to do exactly that – to keep it all together, whether we are managing a busy office, an active family or caring for ourselves in our later years.