When Amogh Acharya came across a Facebook post promoting a product that was unreal he could immediately tell it was AI generated.
But others could not.
“I thought it was obvious this post was AI generated. However, looking at the comments, I found an alarming amount of people believing it was real, primarily seniors and older users,” Acharya told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“I realized they didn’t have the privilege to grow up and adapt with emerging technology, and thus, are susceptible to falling for misinformation online.”
It was at that point he realized that he had the ability to help by offering workshops in senior living communities as president of the Programming Club at Rickards High School.
“That moment caused me to establish the service sector of the club, focused on AI tech education,” the high school senior said.
Amogh and other club members have hosted a series of workshops covering tech and AI literacy at Mulligan Park, Cherry Laurel, and Westminster Oaks in hopes of helping seniors thwart any deceptive scams or misinformation spread online through AI assistance.
“I try to maintain a balanced point of view because I don’t want to spread fear around AI. While AI does have its drawbacks and these concerns, it’s also a cool tool … to learn about how exactly it works and its beneficial uses,” Amogh said.
He said in the workshops participants are introduced to AI tools like ChatGPT and image generators. They focus on informing participants on how to use the tools, like asking chatbots for assistance for accurate information, and how to watch for inaccurate information, like AI generated videos having glitches or telltale signs of falsehood.
Barry Gilman, a participant at a workshop at Mulligan Park Retirement Community, said he understood the serious uses and dangers of AI but really enjoyed hearing about its fun and creative aspects.
“Like most seniors, I’m not up on everything technology and I had some questions about AI, and they were answered intelligently and without hesitation,” Gilman told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I couldn’t wait to get back to my apartment, turn on my computer and start playing with AI.”
Sriman Kandi, a Rickards High junior and member of the programming club, said the service has helped the club take its focus beyond coding and computer screens and share a knowledge of tech with others.
“I just have a great time teaching about something that I love,” Kandi said. “Going to the workshops and teaching about artificial intelligence and other subjects that I’m passionate about is something that I really enjoy.”
Karen Geisler, another Mulligan Park resident, said she had no clue what AI was. So, she attended the workshop after hearing other residents rave about the first one.
“I came out of it understanding what it was and I was just fascinated,” said Geisler, 82.
Amogh said future workshops have been requested and will be scheduled as soon as possible with event coordinators for the communities.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards Programming Club helps seniors navigate AI and misinformation
Reporting by Alaijah Brown, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
