Partnering with AARP to help keep older adults safe online

Today, we’re launching a multi-year effort with AARP and its Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) to help older adults use AI confidently, safely, and securely—starting with a new OpenAI Academy video that teaches them how to use ChatGPT to help spot and avoid scams. 

In 2024, OpenAI worked with OATS, which helps older adults thrive in a digital world, to launch the Societal Resilience Fund, a $2 million commitment supported by Microsoft, to strengthen OATS’s flagship Senior Planet⁠(opens in a new window) program as well as the work of other key partners.

Our mission is for artificial intelligence to benefit everyone and this effort helps put transformative tools into the hands of as many people as possible. That mission is especially urgent for communities that have often been left behind in prior technological revolutions, including older Americans. According to an AARP survey⁠(opens in a new window), AI use among older adults has doubled and another 30 percent are excited about its potential.

The next phase of our work with OATS introduces new nationwide training and community-driven safety programs such as:

• Expanded AI training nationwide—updated in-person and online Senior Planet curriculum, including a short educational video showing how to spot scams, and subgrants to local partners to scale AI literacy in communities across the country.

• Digital safety and privacy programs—a refreshed AI for Older Adults Guide, a new course on protecting privacy and data, and specialized trainings for AARP state offices.

• Research and community insights—an annual national survey of AI use among older adults.