Artificial intelligence presents workplace challenges that are not age-specific. In fact, as detailed in a new report, employees age 50 and older “should be encouraged to embrace AI as a tool for learning new skills, refreshing current skills, and increasing their productivity at work, while continuing to draw on and promote the value of their own experience and expertise.”

The Urban Institute (a nonprofit research organization) and AARP (the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering older adults) recently released a 21-page report titled “AI and Older Workers: Implications and Strategies for Preparing Older Adults for AI in the Workplace.” It identifies practical strategies that support older workers while also benefiting workers more broadly, regardless of age and level of work experience.

“Our research and conversations with individuals who hire, train, and support older workers surfaced a demand for more information about the specific skills and readiness training needed for older workers to succeed with AI and other emerging technologies — training that is often industry- and role-specific,” the reports states. “We also identified gaps in knowledge about which AI skills employers want job seekers to have and about how employers are developing those skills within their workforce.”

To that end, the report details AI-reported challenges older workers face, including negative stereotypes about their lack of readiness for new technology and their resistance to change, insufficient and uneven access to proper training, and difficulty using AI tools that aren’t designed with older workers in mind.

But as AI reshapes the workplace and how tasks are performed, the technology also “creates new roles that draw on the strengths of experienced workers, such as problem-solving, leadership, and contextual judgment,” according to the report. “With the right investments in training and support, AI could become a catalyst for extending and enriching older adults’ careers, rather than a barrier to participation.”

For example, AI can offer support for older adults seeking new employment, a career change, or re-entry into the labor market by creating or suggesting improvements to cover letters and resumes, identifying which skills and jobs to highlight, and suggesting jobs that align with their experience and preferences. AI also creates opportunities to automate physical tasks that pose safety risks; offers flexible and remote work possibilities; and enables those with mobility issues, health conditions, or transportation barriers to remain active in the workforce. 

How to help older workers embrace AI

The report also offers strategies and recommendations for education and training providers, policymakers, and employers who train, support, and hire older workers.

They include:

  • Continued investment in — and focus on — the development of older workers’ digital, AI, and information literacy skills
  • Expanding employer-provided training opportunities to improve access to — and application of — AI in real-world settings
  • Providing paid time for older workers to experiment and practice with AI tools

“Access to this information and more robust training will empower older workers and older job seekers to embrace new opportunities and ultimately support older workers’ economic security and mobility in an AI-enhanced workforce,” the report concludes.

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