This group is missing out on crucial AI safety conversations
How can we keep individuals safe from the dangers AI presents? The answer to this ever-present question often focuses on training and education initiatives for children in school or adults at work. But what about the people who don’t go to either? Seniors with no kids at home and who retired from the workforce are often being left to flounder when it comes to AI. Digital immigrants, as they’re…
Older adults often miss out on crucial AI safety conversations, leaving them vulnerable to AI-related dangers, scams, and misinformation. Digital immigrants, as they are sometimes called, are being left behind while younger generations receive training and education in AI literacy. Gretchen Terry-Leonard, cofounder and chief strategy and impact officer of the Center for Deeply Human Leadership, notes that this omission is mostly by omission rather than intention, leaving an entire generation at risk.
Some seniors may use AI tools like predictive text and virtual assistants without realizing they are using AI. According to a Pew Research report, nearly 1 in 5 adults over 65 use AI chatbots, a number that more than doubled from 2024. However, even those who use AI may not be aware of the potential safety concerns.
The biggest safety concerns for older adults involve health information. They want AI to simplify health information, explain medical results in plain language, and provide diagnoses in an understandable way. However, a study of ChatGPT Health, a tool that accesses users' medical records, found that it undertriaged 52% of tested gold-standard emergencies, including failing to recommend emergency room visits for patients experiencing impending respiratory failure or diabetic ketoacidosis.
The tool also had difficulty providing crisis-intervention messages when presented with suicidal ideations.
Older adults are less likely to perceive AI negatively compared to younger people. While only 35% of adults over 65 predicted a negative impact on society, 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds did. Similarly, 28% of seniors saw AI as having a negative effect on them, compared to 37% of the youngest age group. However, a significant number of older adults (21%) reported feeling unsure about the impact of AI on society, and 29% were unsure about its impact on themselves—about 10% more than the next highest age group (50 to 64).
To better include older adults in AI safety conversations, education, investment, and accountability are crucial. Robin Brewer, an associate professor at the University of Michigan researching older age, disability, and technology, recommends investing in AI literacy training for older adults. Many seniors are already using AI or are curious about it, and they want to learn more about its risks and benefits.
A poll conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation found that 81% of adults 50 and older want to learn more about AI's risks, while 58% also want to learn about its benefits.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
