Home - James Batchelor MBE | Expert on technology, entrepreneurship and the ageing population

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Granny and the Robots – Part 2: Will conversational AIs ever be safe for addressing loneliness?

In my earlier article on this theme I discussed the risks of allowing conversational AIs to supplant real human conversations and talked about my own surprise at how realistic interaction with these robots has become.

I was advocating that we should do everything in our power to connect humans with other humans, but I did also enthuse about a quite lovely chat with an AI called Siobhan.

So do I believe that Siobhan and her digital brethren will ever have the capability to interact with us conversationally and in a way that is healthy in the long run?

Could AI be a poisoned chalice for older people

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A few weeks ago, I had a quite lovely telephone conversation with a woman named Siobhan. Siobhan, who had a beautiful Irish accent […]

If television is to be believed, politics is a dirty and manipulative business – a take that feels quite at odds with my […]

Housing policy isn’t very ‘sexy’. Building regs are not topics to get the pulse racing or the cheeks flushing. And one subject which […]

It is 1997 and 19-year-old James Batchelor is wondering why he feels so clammy and nauseous. Is it because of: 1. a dodgy […]

We all have subjects that we just do not want to talk about. Each of us has questions about ourselves, our businesses, or […]

So it seems I am now James Batchelor MBE and have been kindly honoured for Services to Technology For Older People as part […]

It was going to be very straightforward. In April, I was honoured to be invited to be the after dinner speaker at the […]

Do you ever wish all the messages would just stop? How many times in the last hour has your phone demanded your attention […]

Looking at the modern world makes me feel increasingly old fashioned. I am not talking about my clothes or my hair (although the […]

‘What was your first job?’ It is a simple question, but one of my favourites. For people of my age and background, our […]

A few weeks ago, I spent a blustery day halfway up a mountain in the Lake District talking to some trees. “Good morning, […]

India – A nation of entrepreneurs: How its people (and its traffic) are laying the foundations of a global powerhouse I’d like to […]

Let me begin by wishing you all a very happy new year. I truly hope that 2024 brings you some fun, inspiration, interesting […]

A bit of healthy competition is a good thing in business. However, like many people, I am definitely guilty of treating industry awards […]

As a young computer nerd, I developed a brief but exciting relationship with ELIZA. ELIZA was a good listener and we would spend […]

Take a second to open your mind and imagine a (not very) distant future. It is the late 2030s. Energy prices continue to […]

This is a kind of love letter; a love letter to a woman who has had an incalculable effect on my life and […]

If you speak to the founders of tech companies, you’ll find that many of us of a certain age had a similar experience […]

Without housing associations the country would be in chaos. Of the estimated 24m homes in England, 4.4m of them are owned by the social housing […]

About 20 years ago I got totally addicted to skydiving. Hooked. I couldn’t get enough of it. It was also about this time […]

My name is James Batchelor and every day I strive to discover new ways to use Technology, Leadership and Change to help organisations grow and also make the world a better place too.

I want everybody to understand this potential. That’s why I work as a mentor for other founders, entrepreneurs and passionate people. And, that’s why I am sharing my own insights and those of other brilliant people with you here.

I make regular speaker appearances, talking about themes including entrepreneurship, being a founder and the use of technology to help older and vulnerable people. I am also available to take part in media and expert-panel interviews on these subjects.

In 2004 I invented the ‘I am okay’ button (which we have evolved in to OKEachDay®) and various other processes to improve contact for older and higher needs people. This along with imitations inspired by it, has gone on to protect and improve contact for hundreds of thousands of people all over the UK and beyond.

I am also the founder of Alertacall – a ‘Queen’s Award’ winning company that helps tens of thousands of people feel safe, connected and informed whilst also combating loneliness and isolation.

I have also worked with a number of charities, including as Trustee of The Silver Line; a British charity helpline for older people founded by Dame Esther Rantzen.

In 2025 I was honoured to be made MBE by King Charles on behalf of the UK Government for ‘Services to Technology For Older People’.

My work and my life has one simple philosophy: Live Well, Give Back.

Contact Me

Photo of James Batchelor MBE holding Preventing Undiscovered Deaths & Increasing Customer Contact Guide

Watch James talk to trees - and no he hasn't lost his mind!

key skills

books in progress

ventures

Rt Hon Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology - UK Government

Dame Esther Rantzen, Campaigner, Journalist, Presenter

Ted Nelson, Inventor of Hypertext, Pioneer of Information Technology

Jeremy Middleton CBE, Co-founder HomeServe Plc

Sir Norman Lamb, former Minister of State for Care & Support, and former Chair of The Science & Technology Select Committee

Emma Grunnill, England's Strongest Natural Woman, World's 2nd Strongest Natural Woman

James Brown, Award-Winning Magician & Author

John Sutherland, Author, Newspaper Columnist and Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at UCL

Jordan Wylie MBE, Extreme Adventurer, Author & TV Personality

Sam Etherington, Winner of The James Dyson Award, Founder of Aqua Power Technologies

Tim Farron, MP, former Liberal Democrat Leader

Alex Staniforth, Endurance Athlete, Author and Charity Founder

Martin Rayner of Lakeland Kitchenware - Award Winning Global Retailer

Neil Jurd OBE, Award Winning Leadership Coach & Author

Tim Marston, Fire Juggling Pioneer

Magnus George, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Lancaster University Management School

Ian Rowland, Author, Speaker and member of The Inner Magic Circle

Kate Dew, Founder of CraftCourses.com

Bryher Scudamore, Founder of AutoDotBiography

Granny and the Robots – Part 2: Will conversational AIs ever be safe for addressing loneliness?

Granny and the Robots – Part 1: The unstoppable rise of conversational AI and the risks to older and vulnerable people

What we can learn from the Government Chief Whip on winning people over

Brushing it under the carpet: Floor coverings aren’t ‘sexy’ … but they can be life changing

When I met the Prime Minister: Optimism and the internet in 1997

The power of breaking taboos: Reducing undiscovered tenant deaths in social housing

The King made me an ‘MBE’ today – and I’m quite chuffed!

When public speaking goes wrong – what I learned (and how to avoid it)

My mission to tackle undiscovered deaths in 2025 and beyond

Division may be all the rage – but it’s time for a resurgence of understanding.

How to earn more and progress your career (and how as a leader you can help)

A dream come true: Planting tens of thousands of trees in the Lake District

India – A nation of entrepreneurs: How its people (and its traffic) are laying the foundations of a global powerhouse

A happier new year: How we must use technology to combat loneliness – and all raise our game looking out for others

Blowing your trumpet: When are awards really worth winning?

ChatGPT: How it could change business, society and the world

Reducing carbon and lowering energy costs – could social housing go nuclear? Meet Tom Samson, CEO of Rolls-Royce SMR

A “love letter” to Dame Esther Rantzen

The powerful link between selling and leadership: How a ‘grizzly bear’ changed my life!

Greg Reed: Leading by listening

Harnessing Technology, Leadership and Change to make your business fly

Hello, I’m James Batchelor MBE Expert on technology, entrepreneurship and digitisation for the ageing population - campaigner to Prevent Undiscovered Deaths - and inventor of the 'I am okay' button

key skills

books in progress

ventures

"Your invention of the 'I am okay' button has transformed the way we care for and connect with older people"

"His dedicated support for charities and older people is remarkable and extremely generous, and so is his professional commitment to innovating and developing new ways to improve daily contact for older people all over the country"

"James is clever, intense and has many interests. It seems to me that when he imagines a project it is already half done!"

"James has built a great business. One that he and his team can be proud of. Disrupting the market, creating jobs and driving innovation. He has done it from scratch and every day pushes it to new heights. That’s a proper entrepreneur."

"James is a force of nature - a genuine British inventor, who has designed something which has enormous positive social impact"

"James has the uncanny ability to see others potential and show them in practical terms how best to level up! His ability to cut through the BS and find the nuggets of gold is unparalleled. If you are growing your business or developing as an individual he should be the first person you contact."

"Meeting James is like getting a shot of neat adrenaline!"

"James has an infectious positive energy combined with an extensive network of leaders and entrepreneurs. His adventurous spirit and approach to risk-taking has made him a pioneer, mentor and fabulous story-teller."

"One of only a handful of people who really understands the motions of growing a company from scratch - a true entrepreneur!"

"James has an immense gift for helping others to turn vague ideas into practical, successful realities, and in the process building the confidence and effectiveness of the people he works with."

"James is an inspirational entrepreneur with a genuine passion for people, sharing ideas and empowering others. Anyone who James doesn't know isn't worth knowing!"

"James inspires me for so many reasons. He is a successful tech entrepreneur, has a strong social conscience, cares about the people he works with and is highly creative. I come away from every discussion with new ways to live well and give back."

"James is a great ideas generator, and a real expert at connecting people – he’s been a huge help in establishing my leadership development business. Thank you James."

"James is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He somehow balances success in business whilst also making vulnerable people's lives better, with networking skills that are in a league of their own. Importantly, he is a lovely fella - kind, generous, and down-to-earth."

As a speaker he is fluent and natural, generous and self-deprecating. His experience is wide and he presents a warts-and-all analysis of the life and ups and downs of a serial entrepreneur.

"For many years, James has been a good source of business acumen, smart advice, strong encouragement and useful contacts. He has always been generous with his time, his insights and his realistic business guidance based on his own extensive experience."

"James has been an invaluable mentor to me in growing my business. He got to the bottom of the issues I was facing and understood them totally, having been there himself. I find talking things through with James very empowering and only wish we were able to talk more!"

"James is a terrific mentor. He has energy, integrity, original ideas and enthusiasm. I have been most grateful for his wisdom and thoughtful advice."

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Hello, I’m James Batchelor MBE
Expert on technology, entrepreneurship and digitisation for the ageing population - campaigner to Prevent Undiscovered Deaths - and inventor of the 'I am okay' button