Artificial Intelligence – An Opportunity and a Challenge for Senior Citizens

These days, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being discussed everywhere. It almost feels as if, in the near future, we won’t be able to do anything without it. But what exactly is AI? If we look closely, we have actually been using it for decades—be it a simple calculator or the early computers we worked with. The difference is that today’s AI is far more powerful, versatile, and deeply integrated into our daily lives.

The real concern, however, is that if we stop using our brains actively and begin to rely on AI for every little task, it may weaken our mental agility. Today, even for writing a simple letter or preparing a speech, people turn to ChatGPT. Experts warn that such over-dependence might make us mentally lazy. A video that recently went viral demonstrated the difference between the brain activity of AI users and that of non-users.

When the thought came to me to write my next article on this subject, I shared a short questionnaire with a few groups and also posted it on Facebook. My aim was to understand how much senior citizens (70+) knew about AI and whether they were keen to learn about it. The responses were eye-opening. Most seniors had very little knowledge of AI, yet they expressed great curiosity—especially about how it could be useful in daily life. At the same time, a few elderly individuals were already using AI.

When ChatGPT was launched on 30 November 2022, it took the world by storm. I first read about it in newspapers, and my curiosity grew stronger. In March 2023, I wrote an article titled “From Google to ChatGPT – What’s In It For Senior Citizens?”. Before writing that piece, I had discussed ChatGPT with some of my friends, and to my surprise, none of them had even heard of it. Even today, ChatGPT remains the most talked-about AI tool, but now so many new AI platforms are emerging that it has become difficult to decide which one is truly useful. There is a kind of race—whose AI can do more and better.

There is no doubt that AI is immensely useful, and the future of the world will be shaped by it. India, like other developed nations, is also moving forward in this field. IITs and other institutions are actively teaching and researching AI. Even our Prime Minister frequently refers to AI in his addresses, encouraging young people to advance further in this area.

Negative Aspects of Artificial Intelligence

At the same time, the negative aspects of AI cannot be ignored. Deepfake videos, for instance, have become a major threat, where anyone’s face can be manipulated to spread misleading messages. This makes it increasingly difficult to trust what we see on screen. Recently, I read about a tragic case where a man relied on AI to choose his medicines, which unfortunately led to his death. Although this may be an extreme example, it serves as a cautionary tale. On the other hand, AI has also proved to be a boon in the medical field. One widely shared story on social media told of a rare disease that AI was able to diagnose when even experienced doctors could not.

Therefore, it is essential that senior citizens too become aware of this technology. We possess enough wisdom and life experience to discern what is right and what is misleading, and to decide wisely how and how much to use AI. As part of the Never Say Retired mission, we aim to soon organize a workshop on AI, to help senior citizens understand how they can use it in the right way.

The initiative of the Kerala government in this regard is truly inspiring. Through its program DigiKeralaM, it set out to make every citizen digitally literate. The results were remarkable—even a 105-year-old became digitally literate under this initiative.

One of my 82-year-old acquaintances summed it up beautifully with his comment:

“I disagree with the term Artificial Intelligence. After all, it is nothing but a byproduct of human intelligence—otherwise, how could it have been created? I would rather call it Managed Intelligence.”