OpenAI Academy, OATS host Older Adults AI Skills Jam in 10 communities

OpenAI Academy, the company's educational arm, is expanding its practical AI literacy efforts to older adults through a partnership with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP. The Older Adults AI Skills Jam is part of a multi-year effort launched with OATS and its flagship program, Senior Planet, to help older adults build practical AI skills and stay safe online. This builds on previous OpenAI Academy events with nonprofits, small businesses, and K–12 educators, suggesting a broadening of the company's outreach beyond its core tech audience.

The workshop's focus on safety reflects growing demand: tens of millions of times a week, people ask ChatGPT for help evaluating suspicious messages, emails, and websites. In the U.S., the share of messages associated with people 55+ grew from 6% to nearly 10% in a year, indicating that older adults are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for practical guidance, finding information, and writing. By teaching a simple rule—pause, think, and ask—the program aims to complement OpenAI's broader work to prevent, detect, and disrupt fraud and scams.

The initiative's success will likely hinge on whether participants find the sessions genuinely useful and whether their feedback shapes future learning resources. If the model works, it could offer a template for how AI companies engage older users without assuming technical fluency. For local partner organizations, the workshops may also strengthen their role as trusted community hubs for digital skills.