Unknown Lab
ETIC 2.0 — Eco-Technological Integrative Care
ETIC 2.0 is a care model proposed by Unknown Lab for designing care in the age of AI. It places meaningful occupation, participation, dignity, and human oversight at the center of AI-inclusive care ecosystems.
Why ETIC 2.0 Is Needed
Generative AI, clinical AI, remote support, wearable sensors, smart homes, electronic health records, and daily-life data are changing the conditions of care. The question is no longer simply whether to introduce AI, but how to design care when AI, data, devices, people, and institutions all shape the person's everyday life.
In this context, care cannot be understood only as an intervention delivered to an individual. ETIC 2.0 treats care as an ecosystem: a set of relationships among the person, family members, professionals, environments, technologies, data flows, community resources, and governance structures.
Core Question
The central question of ETIC 2.0 is:
How can AI and technology be designed as part of a care ecosystem that supports a person's meaningful occupation, participation, dignity, and sustainable life?
Three Practical Questions
- Which meaningful occupation or participation does this support?
- If AI or data is involved, who verifies, who explains, and who can stop the support?
- Does this support expand the life of the person, family, professionals, and community?
Key Principles
| Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Occupation and participation first | The goal is not AI adoption itself, but the person's meaningful participation in daily life. |
| Care ecosystem design | Care is designed across people, environments, tools, data, AI, services, and institutions. |
| Contextualized AI | AI is treated as one element of the care environment, not as the central actor. |
| Human responsibility | AI output is a proposal or aid; final judgment and explanation remain human responsibilities. |
| Data governance | The purpose, storage, sharing, deletion, and risks of data use must be clear. |
| Equity by design | Digital exclusion, bias, and alternative access must be considered before implementation. |
What ETIC 2.0 Is Not
- It is not a promotion of AI for its own sake.
- It is not a replacement for established occupational therapy models such as MOHO, PEO, ICF, or occupational justice.
- It is not a clinical scale or diagnostic tool.
- It does not provide individual medical advice.
Relation to Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy has long understood people through the relationship between occupation, participation, environment, health, and social justice. ETIC 2.0 extends this perspective to an age in which AI, sensors, data platforms, digital devices, and institutions are becoming part of the care environment.
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Suggested Citation
Unknown Lab. Eco-Technological Integrative Care (ETIC) 2.0: Occupational Therapy and Care Ecosystem Design in the Age of AI. 2026. https://unknownlab.pages.dev/etic-2-0/