New York extends ElliQ AI companion deal with Intuition Robotics

NYSOFA's extension of the ElliQ program comes after a first public-private partnership in 2018. That partnership followed a report by AARP and the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on loneliness and social isolation, which stated that loneliness and isolation cost Medicare more than $7 billion to treat and are equivalent to smoking almost a pack of cigarettes per day. The agency has since expanded partnerships with more than 30 technology companies to increase service provision, and early in the Covid-19 pandemic it added a social isolation screen and a technology screen to its comprehensive assessment.

The newly reported 2026 data suggests that engagement with ElliQ has grown over time, with participants now interacting an average of 48 times per day compared with 29 daily interactions in previous reporting. Beyond loneliness, 92% regularly share updates about their wellbeing and 81% participate in physical activity encouraged by ElliQ, according to the program data. NYSOFA director Greg Olsen called ElliQ an essential tool to combat the loneliness epidemic, and Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the extension reflects three years of measurable, record-breaking engagement results.