Shenzhen empowers seniors with AI skills

As darkness fell over the tech metropolis of Shenzhen, a group of 22 senior citizens gathered with their mobile phones in a classroom to learn how to use generative artificial intelligence.

Teacher Meng Chuanming stood at the front of the class and said, "Please remove the scratches from this photograph." After following the instructions, the class erupted in animated chatter as magical transformations played out on their screens.

In the city of 18 million people, the rapid pace of innovation often leaves the elderly at risk of being left behind.

Many retirees, such as 65-year-old Lyu Pinghuang, who relocated from Hubei province to assist with childcare, find themselves unable to navigate a society driven by advanced algorithms. This "digital exile" makes it difficult for seniors to perform basic daily tasks, creating a sense of exclusion in a city that operates almost entirely through high-tech interfaces.

To combat this trend, in June 2024, Shenzhen launched a massive educational initiative to bring older citizens into the AI era. Rather than limiting instruction to basic smartphone functions, the program teaches seniors to use generative AI tools like ByteDance's Dreamina and DeepSeek. The initiative has scaled rapidly across the city's neighborhoods, with 625 communities hosting more than 5,000 distinct classes. To date, the program has reached over 400,000 residents through 8,000 sessions, all supported by a network of more than 200 volunteer instructors.

For Lyu, attending her first class was a daunting experience. "I started as the most confused person in the room," she said.

Though understanding little, Lyu sensed something profound. "This is cutting-edge and represents the trend of our era," Lyu said, adding she quickly enrolled in the full program, which she likened to "technological democracy".

Lyu still vividly remembers her first AI class. "It was mostly 30-somethings. I was the only retiree, completely out of place." While others kept pace effortlessly, she couldn't even locate where to type her commands.

The curriculum focuses on practical and emotional applications that resonate with the elderly. Students learn to use "text-t-image" and "text-to-video" technology to restore damaged, monochrome photographs from their youth. By colorizing and animating faded portraits of family members, participants use AI as a tool for memory-keeping and storytelling.

For 68-year-old Chen Chongxi, these classes enable a major shift in behavior, moving from the passive consumption of short-form videos to active, logical problem-solving.

"With AI, we're no longer trapped in life's trivialities and mindless short videos. Instead, we devote more time to learning, and that's incredibly beneficial for the elderly," said Chen. "AI brings us old folks back to youth."

This movement suggests that the digital divide is not an inevitable consequence of progress, but a challenge that can be addressed through accessible public services. By providing seniors with the skills to use frontier technology, the city helps them maintain cognitive health and social dignity. As digital literacy becomes a form of social currency, these "silver-haired pioneers" are finding ways to remain connected to a tech-centric culture that might otherwise have left them behind.

Han Gangtuan, a political adviser for Shenzhen's Futian district, said this accessible education represents the greatest kindness a city can offer its old citizens.

XINHUA