Every year, these elderly people lose 25 billion euros

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Every year, American seniors find themselves the astronomical sum of 25 billion euros, victims of increasingly sophisticated scams and frauds, now facilitated by artificial intelligence. Faced with this growing threat, our elders are striving to educate themselves to better protect themselves against these modern dangers.

AI, between fascination and skepticism

On the outskirts of Chicago, a senior center welcomes a group of retirees, some leaning on their canes, all absorbed in a course on artificial intelligence. For those who have witnessed the advent of television and the Internet, AI represents a new technological revolution. However, this fascination is undoubtedly accompanied by a palpable apprehension.

« How to distinguish fact from fiction ? ” asks a 79-year-old participant. A question that could not be more legitimate given the progress of this technology with completely mind-blowing generation tools like Sora from OpenAI, for example. Michael Gershbein, the instructor, emphasizes that AI can be both beneficial and pernicious, particularly for the elderly. ” Generally speaking, seniors' distrust is healthy, but I don't want them to be paralyzed by their fears to the point of no longer wanting to do anything online ” he explains.

This caution is by no means excessive: deepfakes and other forms of disinformation, now fueled and catalyzed by AI, are formidable tools for deceiving the most vulnerable. Older people, who are more likely to trust information they find online, become prime targets.

A study by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) revealed in 2023 that Americans in their 60s and over lose $28.3 billion annually (equivalent to approximately $25 billion). ;#8217;euros) due to fraud, some of which is now amplified by artificial intelligence.

An education essential but complex

To counter this growing threat, a plethora of awareness courses on AI are flourishing in senior centers across the United States. These initiatives aim to raise awareness among older people of the benefits and perils of AI, while equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate this new technological universe with discernment.

Dianne Stone, a 20-year director of a senior center and the National Council on Aging, emphasizes the critical importance of these lessons: “ There's this myth that older people don't use technology. We know that's not true .” From his point of view, these courses help to equip seniors to face the emergence of new technologies while allowing them to develop a form of ” healthy skepticism “.

Nevertheless, finding the right balance between warning and encouraging the use of AI remains a delicate exercise. ” We need this kind of education for seniors, but the approach we take has to be very balanced and well-designed » explains Siwei Lyu, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Some seniors, like Linda Chipko, 70,come away from these courses with a sharper perspective: ” The performance of AI is intimately linked to the quality of its programming, and users need to know that .” Others, like Ruth Schneiderman, have discovered new opportunities in AI, using it to illustrate children’s books. She sums up the mindset needed to thrive in this fast-paced world. At 77, the woman explains: “My mother lived to be 90 years old […] and I learned from her that if you want to survive in this world, you have to adapt to change. Otherwise, you get left behind ».

Today we have all the tools and keys to understanding in hand to avoid repeating the same mistakes of the past. That is to say, leaving the elderly outside the transformations enabled by AI, as we did when the Internet was democratized. First, to protect them, but also so that they themselves can seize these new tools.

• Seniors are increasingly falling victim to AI scams, losing €25 billion a year in the US because of it.
• AI education courses are being set up for seniors across the Atlantic to teach them how to recognize the dangers of AI and how to use these tools safely and responsibly.
• Raising awareness of the risks among seniors without discouraging them from using new technologies is a delicate balance to strike.

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