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At a Harlem community forum, older New Yorkers spoke candidly about artificial intelligence\u2014how they already use it, what worries them, and why they want clearer information from people they trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gathering was hosted by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at the A. Philip Randolph Senior Center. It brought older adults and students together to discuss the growing place of AI in daily life. The conversation showed that older adults are not simply afraid of new technology. Many are interested in its benefits but want help recognizing its risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several people at the forum described practical ways they use AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harlem resident Glenda Brown told NY1 that she uses it to help make text messages more concise. Another attendee, the Rev. John Dillard, described AI as informative. Their comments offered a useful counterpoint to the common assumption that older adults are unwilling or unable to use emerging technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, participants raised concerns about identity theft, misleading information, and scams that can appear increasingly convincing. AI can help criminals write polished messages, imitate familiar voices, and create realistic images or video. That makes older warning signs\u2014such as awkward grammar or an obviously fake recording\u2014less dependable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Williams argued that public education should develop alongside the technology. His office has called for citywide AI-literacy training as well as stronger rules governing transparency, consent, personal information, and corporate accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The forum was not simply a lecture about what older adults should fear. It gave community members an opportunity to describe what they need from city government as AI becomes more common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Public Advocate\u2019s office released a report titled Artificially Inevitable<\/em>, which examines how AI is being used and how government could respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report recommends that New York City provide public AI-literacy training similar to the Harlem event. It also calls for safeguards governing the collection and use of personal information, clearer disclosure when personal data is used to train AI systems, workforce training, and AI-specific standards for city purchasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its approach is based on three broad principles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For older adults, public training may be one of the most immediately useful recommendations. A neighborhood senior center or library can offer something an online warning page cannot: a familiar place where people can ask questions, examine examples, and practice responding to suspicious messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A convincing scam does not depend on someone being careless. It often succeeds because it creates fear, urgency, or concern for a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A caller may claim that a child or grandchild is in trouble. A message may appear to come from a bank, government agency, or trusted organization. AI-generated audio can make an unfamiliar caller sound like someone the recipient knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing that these tools exist can help, but general warnings are not enough. Older adults need practical instruction that reflects the situations they actually encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful community training could demonstrate how to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education should also address legitimate uses of AI. Older adults may benefit from assistance with writing, translation, accessibility, transportation information, or learning about unfamiliar subjects. The goal should be informed use\u2014not fear of every new tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the same week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that his office had seized 12 website domains accused of distributing and selling nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual deepfakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investigators said images of approximately 1,200 real people had been used without their permission. Most of the identified victims were women and public-facing individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That enforcement action was not specifically about scams targeting older adults. It does, however, illustrate a broader concern raised during the Harlem discussion: realistic synthetic media can be created and distributed without a person\u2019s knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to generate convincing false content affects privacy, reputation, personal safety, and trust in what people see online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Older adults and their families do not have to wait for new city programs before adopting a few basic protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If someone calls with an urgent request for money, hang up and contact the relative directly using a number already saved in your phone. Families can also establish a private code word for genuine emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never send money because a caller insists that there is no time to verify the story. Requests involving gift cards, cryptocurrency, cash deliveries, or secrecy deserve particular caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid sharing Social Security numbers, banking credentials, verification codes, or other sensitive information in response to an unexpected call, email, or text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, make conversations about fraud supportive rather than judgmental. Shame keeps many people from reporting what happened. A calm second opinion from a family member, friend, bank representative, or community worker can interrupt a scam before money is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Harlem forum offered a straightforward lesson for public officials: programs for older adults should be designed with them, not merely for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some attendees already use AI and want to understand it better. Others are concerned about fraud, privacy, employment, or false information. Those positions are not contradictory. People can recognize that a technology is useful while still asking for meaningful safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community forums, libraries, and senior centers can help turn a complicated national debate into practical local knowledge. Just as importantly, they give older adults a voice in deciding how AI should be used in their city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keywords: AI literacy, voice cloning scams, older adult safety, Harlem town hall<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harlem Older Adults Tell New York City What They Want From AI At a Harlem community forum, older New Yorkers spoke candidly about artificial intelligence\u2014how they already use it, what worries them, and why they want clearer information from people they trust. The gathering was hosted by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,11],"tags":[15,16,17],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-safety","category-general-ai-news","tag-ai-literacy","tag-older-adult-safety","tag-voice-cloning-scams"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
Why this matters to older adults<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A separate warning about deepfakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Steps families can take now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Listening should come first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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