SAN ANTONIO – About 100 older adults gathered at San Antonio’s Central Library to learn how artificial intelligence works, how it can help in daily life and how to use it safely as scams increasingly target seniors online.
The AI Skills Jam for Older Adults was hosted by OpenAI, AARP and Senior Planet. San Antonio was one of 10 cities nationwide to hold the event, making it part of what organizers described as the largest senior-focused AI event in the country.
For many who attended, the goal was simple: understand a technology that is quickly becoming part of everyday life.
“You hear a lot of bad things about it, and you hear a lot of good things about it, so I’m trying to understand,” said 70-year-old Yolanda Perez. ”How does it actually work? What will it do for me as an older adult?”
Perez said the session reinforced the importance of protecting personal information online.
“I’ve learned that we need to be careful in how we utilize some of our technology, maybe not provide as much information as we think we should,” Perez said.
Older adults are often targets of online scams, and participants said they want to understand better when information can be trusted and when they need to verify it.
Charlotte Truss said one of the biggest lessons was knowing what not to share.
“Of course, we don’t want to share personal information, just a straightforward question,” Truss said. “Nothing that can be used against you.”
Truss already uses AI and said she has found it useful around the house.
“I love AI. AI, I think it’s fun,” she said, adding that she once used it to help figure out why her ice maker was stuck or even how to bake a cake.
She came to the event to build on those skills, including learning how to ask follow-up questions and check whether an answer is accurate.
“What are your resources? How did you come up with that answer?” Truss said.
Organizers also showed participants more creative uses for AI, such as making a coloring book for a grandchild or planning a trip.
Allison Sandza-Wood with OpenAI said the event was designed to ensure older adults are not left out as AI becomes more common.
“There really isn’t an age limit on who’s going to use this technology, so we just want to be sure everyone has an even playing field,” Sandza-Wood said.
For Truss, the lessons already are paying off. She said she recently showed her children something she learned using AI.
“They said, ‘How’d you do that?’” Truss laughed. “So mom has a one-up on them. I like that.”
Organizers said the goal is to continue helping older adults build confidence with AI while learning how to use it safely.
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