— Bruce Gobioff
When many of us think of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we think of chatbots like ChatGPT which have exploded in the public consciousness in the last several years. AI today is a lot more than that and is significantly enriching the lives of older adults including those of us who are OLLI-USF members. From learning new skills to staying healthy and connected, AI is offering practical solutions that can enhance the quality of life in many ways. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the ways AI is improving life for older adults.
For seniors, maintaining health and wellness becomes an increasingly important priority. Artificial intelligence has created useful tools that can help monitor health, manage medications, encourage physical activity, and provide peace of mind for OLLI-USF members and their families.
For example, devices like the Apple watch and other wearables can detect falls and automatically alert emergency contacts if needed. The technology works by using motion sensors to identify the unique movement patterns associted with falls and distinguishing them from normal activities like sitting down. This feature provides an extra layer of security for active adults.
When you have a health question or concern,AI-powered virtual health assistants can provide immediate information. While these tools never replace professional medical advice, they can help you understand symptoms, learn about conditions, and determine whether a doctor’s visit is necessary.
Applications like Ada Health and WebMD’s symptom checker use AI to ask relevant questions about your symptoms and provide information about possible causes. They’re designed to be conversational and easy to use.
For OLLI-USF members managing chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension, specialized AI applications can help track relevant health metrics and provide educational content tailored to your specific health situation.
Amazon is in the process of rolling out a new version of Alexa called Alexa Plus. Powered by generative AI, Alexa Plus will be able to understand and respond to natural language, remember your likes and dislikes, respond to emotion in your voice, and talk back and forth with you in a more conversational way without you having to say “Alexa” every time you speak. It will also be able to process multiple commands at once.
For some older adults, AI companions provide both practical assistance and social interaction. Devices like ElliQ are specifically designed as an “AI sidekick for happier, healthier aging.” These specialized companions are programmed to proactively engage with users, suggesting activities, initiating conversations, and providing cognitive stimulation and supplement social interaction.
Learning a new language offers cognitive benefits that may help maintain brain health. AI-powered language applications like Duolingo and Babbel use sophisticated algorithms to create personalized learning paths.
Similarly, cognitive training applications like Lumosity and BrainHQ offer exercises designed to maintain mental sharpness. The AI components in these applications track performance across different cognitive domains including memory, attention, and problem-solving. They generate activities that target areas where you might benefit from additional practice.
Speaking of cognitive enhancement, games like Contract Bridge are great for keeping our minds sharp. There are many programs that allow you to play against AI partners without needing the full complement of human players. Bridge Base Online is a popular server-based program and there are others, including some that run on smartphones.
For OLLI-USF members with interests in travel, history, or art, AI has enabled opportunities for virtual exploration. Applications like Google Arts & Culture use AI to create virtual tours of museums and historical sites worldwide, often including information and perspectives not available to physical visitors.
Some applications use augmented reality (AR) to overlay historical information on current landscapes, allowing you to “see” what ancient Rome looked like while viewing its modern ruins, or to explore the stories behind paintings in a virtual museum tour.
For OLLI-USF members who are hearing impaired, AI has transformed hearing aids from simple sound amplifiers into smart systems that can learn from their users and continuously adapt to provide clearer, more comfortable hearing. At the heart of AI-enhanced hearing aids is machine learning, which allows these devices to recognize and adapt to different sound environments. For instance, they can distinguish between speech and background noise and automatically adjust their settings to prioritize human voices. This is particularly useful in noisy environments like restaurants or social gatherings where background chatter can make it hard to focus on a conversation.
For many older adults, social media platforms provide ways to stay connected with family and friends. AI has made these platforms more accessible through features like automatic content recommendations that help you find communities aligned with your interests, and simplified interfaces that adapt to your usage patterns.
AI-powered content filtering can also help create more positive social media experiences by screening out unwanted content and highlighting posts from close friends and family that might otherwise get lost in feeds.
AI has also transformed creative pursuits, making artistic expression more accessible. Voice-to-text technology allows for hands-free writing, while AI art generation tools like ChatGPT’s new image generation feature (which was used to generate the images in this article) and Midjourney can create images based on text descriptions.
Photography enthusiasts benefit from AI features in modern smartphones that automatically enhance images, compensate for shaky hands, and suggest optimal composition. These technologies make it easier to capture and share high-quality images of family gatherings or travel experiences.
Online scams often target older adults, but AI is creating tools to help identify and avoid these threats. Email services now use AI to detect phishing attempts and suspicious messages, automatically filtering them from your inbox or providing clear warnings.
Banking applications incorporate AI that learns your typical spending patterns and can alert you to unusual transactions that might indicate fraud. Some can even temporarily freeze accounts when highly suspicious activity is detected, preventing significant financial loss.
In conclusion, as we’ve explored throughout this article, artificial intelligence offers a wealth of applications that can enhance the lives of OLLI-USF members and other senior adults. From health monitoring to home assistance, from learning opportunities to social connections, AI technologies provide practical tools that support independence, engagement, and well-being. The AI tools available today are just the beginning. The future of AI promises even greater opportunities for lifelong learners. As members of OLLI-USF, we are well positioned to adopt these tools and use them to enrich our lives.
Bruce Gobioff is a graduate of MIT and spent 35 years in the computer industry with IBM as a software developer and manager. He has been an OLLI-USF member for over nine years as well as a long- time OLLI instructor. He is currently teaching OLLI classes in both liberal arts and technology subjects including Artificial Intelligence.
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