by Emma O’Donoghue, Manager of Media Literacy and User Education, Coimisiún na Meán
Launched in Grangegorman, TU Dublin on 27 March, Age-Friendly AI is an initiative that works to listen to, understand and act on the hopes of older people for the inclusive use of AI. This initiative was born out of public engagement, seeking to break down barriers and build confidence in older people.
Laura Grehan, Head of Education, Engagement and Societal Impact at ADAPT introduced the event by outlining the need to make AI accessible and beneficial for older people. She described how the voice of older people was a key element in the creation of this initiative.
Dr Dympna O’Sullivan, Academic Lead, Digital Futures Research Hub, TU Dublin, discussed the importance of lifelong learning and inclusion. Stating that learning doesn’t stop at a certain age, she argued that neither should access to education and underlined the importance of fostering confidence and critically engaging with technology. Acknowledging that AI is having a profound impact on society, she noted that technological change isn’t happening in a vacuum – it’s shaping society. She pointed out that for AI to be fair and equitable, it must include all voices and that education, dialogue and engagement are all key to ensuring digital inclusion.
Paula Kelly, Project Lead, TU Dublin, explored the origins of this initiative and how it stemmed from her own observation that older people were reluctant to engage with AI. She noted how knowledge and confidence are at the heart of engagement with new technologies and that fear comes from the lack of these. This led Paula to run an AI engagement workshop in Baldoyle library, conducting surveys before and after the workshop. She found that participants felt they had a much better understanding of how AI works after the workshop. Similar results from additional workshops being run in Ballymun and Louth led to the creation of the Age-Friendly AI initiative. Paula outlined the two phases of this initiative – 2025 is the dialogue phase and 2026 will be the rollout phase. The AI literacy training programme will be developed and then delivered in libraries in every county in Ireland, with the overall target being to reach 60,000 adults.
Francis Brennan, Age Friendly Ambassador for Co. Kerry, humorously discussed his own experience with AI – he talked about, as a child, going to visit his grandfather’s farm when a visit from the ‘AI man’ actually referred to the artificial insemination man! He highlighted the practical benefits of technology such as using a smart watch to take photos of items in shops, and then price-matching them. He also talked about his own use of Gemini AI to instantly generate over thirty pages of content about his car. He noted that his biggest concern was around fact-checking of AI content, recognising both the massive potential of AI as well as the concerns around its use.
Emma Redmond, National AI Advisory Council, acknowledged that AI can sound both scary and fascinating and talked about the importance of trying to understand it enough to feel confident, informed and included. She highlighted how AI literacy is not just a skill for engineers, it’s a civic skill like reading or critical thinking. Emma works on creating AI tools that don’t talk down to people – they offer a way to learn, to ask questions and to have fun. Acknowledging that everyone’s needs are different, she encouraged people to think about what AI means to them as individuals and how it might be able to positively shape their lives.
Following the introductory comments, there was a panel discussion led by Dr Dympna O’Sullivan, including Eric Šopoň from ALONE, Bernie Foley from Workday, Sheila Cullen from U3A, and Dr Emma Clarke from ADAPT. The participants discussed their own experiences of AI – Sheila outlined her experience of changes in technology from going to the phone box down the road to make a call, to using her first typewriter, to using Word on the computer, to learning how to use Zoom during Covid lockdown, to now learning about AI. She said that even though it can be a challenge to keep learning new things, ‘you get on with it’.
A final question was asked to the panellists: what is one actionable step to help with AI literacy? Eric said ‘Being here tonight is taking that step – having the courage and curiosity to explore. Continue to sign up to workshops and go to the library’. Bernie said ‘Think about the benefits of AI – that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. Don’t focus on AI itself – focus on the benefits and the positives. Be curious – don’t be afraid. We learn from our failures’. Sheila said ‘Focus on the need to know – ask yourself “how can AI benefit my sense of wellbeing”? Focus on the positives and leave the rest to others’. Finally, Emma said, ‘Collaboration is so important. In this room tonight there’s a wealth of expertise and lived experience that will create an AI literacy programme that will benefit everyone’.
Learn more about Age-Friendly AI here.