OpenAI Partners with AARP to Help Keep Older Adults Safe Online

AI use among older adults has doubled and a third are excited about its potential, according to an AARP survey.

OpenAI has announced the launch of 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 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," says a statement on the OpenAI website.

According to an AARP survey, AI use among older adults has doubled and another 30 percent are excited about its potential.

The next phase of OpenAI's 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.

As part of these new efforts, OpenAI and OATS collaborated on educational content designed to help older adults spot scams and use ChatGPT as a “second pair of eyes.” Available on the OpenAI Academy⁠, the video⁠ walks viewers through common warning signs—such as urgent language, secrecy, or suspicious links—and shows how to get quick feedback on whether something might be fraudulent. The message is simple: pause, think, and ask. ChatGPT can help flag suspicious messages, but it should be combined with and does not replace personal judgment and basic safety steps like avoiding links or sharing personal information.

The expanded partnership comes as OpenAI marks the first anniversary of the OpenAI Academy— a free online resource to support AI literacy and help people from all backgrounds access tools, best practices and peer insights to use AI more effectively and responsibly. The OpenAI Academy has already helped more than 2 million people— including workers, small businesses, nonprofit leaders, students and others.

The statement o the OpenAI website continues: "Our collaboration with OATS reinforces this fundamental idea: AI education should be a basic right in the Intelligence Age. Whether you’re a college student, a retiree exploring new tools, or someone contemplating a career change, you should have the ability to gain AI skills and knowledge. Together with OATS and communities across the globe, we’re making AI education accessible to everyone, at every age."