AI for older adults: promise and pitfalls, from workshops to geriatricians

AI is moving into older adults' lives from two directions at once. OpenAI and AARP have announced free, hands-on ChatGPT workshops for 1,000 older adults in 10 U.S. cities, aiming to build practical AI skills safely. Around the same time, geriatrician James Deardorff of UCSF is urging caution about using AI to make care decisions for older adults, pointing out that the technology deserves careful scrutiny in that context.

The two sources are not in direct conflict, but they emphasize different sides of the same issue. The OpenAI announcement focuses on empowerment: older adults learning to use AI tools in everyday life. The STAT interview focuses on protection: making sure AI does not lead to flawed or harmful decisions in clinical and care settings.

Where they agree is that AI's role with older adults is growing and needs deliberate attention. Where they differ is in the starting point — one treats AI as a skill to be taught, the other as a risk to be managed. Both perspectives are relevant as this population increasingly encounters AI in daily life and in{