AI Literacy Workshops
We're students running free workshops that teach seniors how to use AI chatbots, and how to spot the AI scams aimed at them.
Seniors have been left out
Most people who use AI learned it from someone else, usually a coworker or someone younger in the family. However, research has found that this same trend didn't apply to seniors. Pew Research Center surveyed 5,119 U.S. adults in February 2026 and found a gap this wide:
Pew Research Center, survey conducted February 17 to 23, 2026.
Seniors are also the top victims of AI-related scams
The FBI started counting AI-enabled fraud as its own category in 2025, and most of the money lost to it came from older adults.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Elder Fraud Report and 2025 Internet Crime Report.
A convincing voice clone takes about ten seconds of audio, which a scammer can pull off a Facebook video. Add a few details from the same profile and a phone call from a grandchild in trouble sounds real enough to work. AARP found that 85% of adults over 50 worry about deepfakes, and that their knowledge of how the technology works is limited.
What we cover
Sessions run 45 minutes, in person or over video. The point is that everyone gets a chatbot working on their own phone before they leave. We save the scam material for the end, since it makes a lot more sense once people have used one themselves.
1. What AI is
How a chatbot differs from a normal computer program. We explain it through apps people already have, like Siri and Maps.
2. First time using it
Everyone downloads ChatGPT and sends a prompt. We go around the room until it works on every phone.
3. Everyday uses
Getting AI to explain something at whatever level of detail you want, or to sort out a confusing setting on your phone.
4. Scams and safety
How voice cloning and fake emergency calls work, and what you should never type into a chatbot.
The full curriculum
For a more specific description of what our workshops cover, see here!
Open the curriculum as a PDFSources
- Pew Research Center, "How Americans' Opinions and Use of AI Differ by Age" (June 2026; survey of 5,119 U.S. adults, February 17 to 23, 2026).
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Elder Fraud Report and 2025 Internet Crime Report.
- AARP, "Older Adults Express High Concern and Limited Knowledge About AI Scams and Fraud" (survey of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 50+).
If you'd like a workshop for your residents or members, in person or over video, get in touch. It's free and takes 45 minutes. We bring a laptop and run the whole thing, so all anyone needs is a phone and WiFi.