Are you someone who thinks AI is just a fad? If the answer is yes, experts like Walid Saad, electrical and computer engineering professor and artificial intelligence expert at Virginia Tech, suggest you reconsider.
Saad likens AI today to the Internet of the 1990s: “Its adoption will be inevitable, and we should be well-informed in order to understand how it will change our world in the next few years,” he says.
Turns out that a majority of Americans over 55 express an interest in AI, with 57 percent admitting to test-driving ChatGPT, a chatbot and virtual assistant. This, according to a survey conducted by Retirement Living of 1,000 people over 55 who admit to using it professionally for idea generation at work, to find recipes, to understand difficult concepts, to draft text messages, to learn new skills, and to request personalized media recommendations for playlists and movies.
AI also has the potential to address some of the challenges seniors face. The Retirement Living survey revealed that nearly half of older adults experience boredom weekly, and about one-third face loneliness, anxiety, and brain fog. Additionally, they reported wanting to know more about their personal health, concern about forgetting important dates and names, and a desire to have more meaningful interactions with their peers.
Regarding skeptics, Saad says apprehension around new technology is natural. “I advise those who have not embraced the technology to investigate its potential uses and how it works.” That way, he says, “they can make informed, piecemeal decisions on what AI tools they wish to use.”
This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue.
