How to Prepare Older Adults for AI in the Workplace - Strategies for Training Providers, Employers, and Policymakers

Oct 15, 2026

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How to Prepare Older Adults for AI in the Workplace presents practical, evidence-informed guidance for policymakers, employers, and education and training providers supporting adults aged 50 and older. It explains how generative AI adoption creates both obstacles and opportunities, citing survey data on training interest, AI usage, and digital-skill gaps. The brief recommends building digital, AI, and information literacy through durable skills, expanding employer-provided training with paid practice time, and improving outreach and access to relevant learning resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Data Insights

Challenges and Opportunities

Skills Development: Digital, AI, and Information Literacy

Expand Employer-Provided Training

How to Prepare Older Adults for AI in the Workplace Strategies for Training Providers, Employers, and Policymakers Amanda Briggs and Hailey D’Elia January 2026 DATA INSIGHTS | By 2027, 92 percent of companies plan to invest more in generative AI—artificial intelligence models that can generate new content, according to a 2025 McKinsey survey (Mayer et al. 2025) . | | --- | | In the same McKinsey survey, 48 percent of US employees say they believe formal training would increase day-to-day adoption of generative AI tools (Mayer et al. 2025). | | 19 percent of US employees surveyed by Gallup use AI at work frequently—a few times a week or more—which has nearly doubledover the last two years (2023 to 2025). 11 percent reported frequent AI use in 2023.1 | | 92 percent of workers over age 50 described an interest in learning new professional skills, including digital skills, in a 2024 Age Inclusion in the Workplace survey.2 | 10 percent of older workers age 50-plus reported taking an AI training or education class in their line of work in a 2025 AARP survey on how AI is impacting the future of work.3 The rapid advancement and increasing complexity of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has prompted education and training providers and employers to rethink workplace roles and consider what it means to be job-ready. Concerns about task augmentation, or how specific aspects of jobs will change due to automation, and job displacement—involuntary job loss due to technological change—span work experience levels and industries. This brief offers strategies and recommendations for policymakers, employers, and education and training providers who support, hire, and train adults age 50 and older to support their resilience amid this changing landscape. It is based on a literature review plus interviews and focus groups with training providers, researchers, and business and industry experts. AI Presents Both Challenges and Opportunities for Older Workers and Job Seekers In our research, we define AI as any technology or machine that can perform complex tasks that are typically associated with human intelligence.4 As AI becomes embedded in workplace expectations and roles, it may present obstacles that disproportionately affect older adults yet also holds promise for expanding access to tools that support older workers’workforce persistence. Some challenges AI poses for older workers include negative stereotypes about their willingness to learn new skills and comfort with technology, limited access to employer-provided or relevant training, and a lack of foundational digital skills—basic abilities to utilize technology like navigating a web browser and checking AI-enabled voice-to-text content for accuracy. Many older adults, especially people with low incomes or in rural areas, may also struggle to use AI tools due to limited broadband and digital access. Although there is some evidence that tech skill gaps among older workers are closing (AARP and LinkedIn 2025), AI tools still require practice and information literacy (the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information) to interpret their output. Older workers, with years of professional experience, will be essential in providing critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and ethical oversight for the development of new AI models, and the interpretation and evaluation of AI outputs. AI also creates opportunities for older workers by reshaping how work is performed, such as automating physically demanding tasks, enabling older adults with mobility issues and health conditions to remain active in the workforce (Maresova et al. 2023). Below are strategies education and training providers, employers, and policymakers can use to address these obstacles, capitalize on potential opportunities, and ultimately support older workers’ economic security and mobility in anAI-enhanced workforce. Invest in Older Workers’ Digital, AI, and Information Literacy Skills

FAQs

What core challenges do AI tools present for older workers?

The brief highlights negative stereotypes, limited access to relevant training, and gaps in foundational digital skills such as using browsers and checking AI output accuracy. It also notes access barriers like limited broadband and digital resources for some older adults.

What opportunities does AI create for older workers and job seekers?

Older workers can contribute critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and ethical oversight as AI models develop and outputs are evaluated. AI can also reshape work by automating physically demanding tasks and supporting workforce persistence for people with mobility issues or health conditions.

How should training providers and employers build the skills needed for AI adoption?

They should develop foundational digital skills and information literacy, integrating durable skills into AI training so older adults can evaluate AI-generated content. The brief also emphasizes practice and supports that include paid time for using AI tools to strengthen day-to-day adoption.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Bintang