In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, its conversational agent based on artificial intelligence (AI). Competitors have spread: Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek… More than three years later, these tools have become part of the daily lives of a much wider audience than anticipated. If ChatGPT and others have quickly transformed professional practices and attracted Generation Z (who sometimes see in them a form of confidant), they are also gaining ground among seniors.
According to a survey published in October 2024 by Carewell, an American company specializing in medical support, 78% of people over 55 use AI, mainly ChatGPT. More than half of those surveyed use it for everyday tasks, like meal planning or administrative support. A more recent study indicates that 46% of those over 65 interact with an AI at least several times a week.
Kevin Charras, psychology researcher and director of the Aging and Vulnerabilities Living Lab at Rennes University Hospital, is convinced: AI is increasingly entering the daily lives of seniors, like other generations. “People over 75 are also used to computer tools, which they used during their professional life, then in retirement. Today, they continue to adapt to technologies, just like us.”
This observation is shared by Maribel Pino, doctor of psychology and director of the Broca Living Lab at the AP-HP in Paris, who nevertheless qualifies: “Among older people, there are different profiles: some are very cutting-edge and curious about technology. Others are afraid of using tools they do not master.”
Advice appreciated
Retirees who are fans of conversational agents appreciate the answers provided by the technology: they support them in sometimes complex decisions, particularly on administrative or economic matters, as well as in planning trips and domestic tasks. “Over the past few weeks, ChatGPT has helped me draw up a lease agreement for an apartment I want to rent. He also produced the annexes and the document for the inventory of fixtures.details Isabelle, retired for several years.
The AI also served as his travel agent: “When planning the next motorhome holiday with my partner, I indicated that we wanted to visit the Netherlands and stop near beaches, in quiet places, with cycle paths and few mosquitoes. ChatGPT offered me a detailed itinerary, with several camping options.”
“Among older people, we observe a tendency to use chatbots when they feel alone.”
Isabelle recognizes that this technology saves her precious time. On the other hand, she specifies that she never uses it to confide or engage in a personal discussion. A limit that is not shared by all users. Because for some, AI can become an ally against loneliness. In France, the number of elderly people isolated from their loved ones has increased to 2 million in 2025, an increase of 120% in eight years, according to the barometer of the isolation of elderly people from the Petits Frères des Pauvres association.
“Among older people, we observe a tendency to use conversational agents when they feel alone, summarizes Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, researcher in artificial intelligence at the LIP6 Computer Science Research Laboratory at Sorbonne University and author of the book AI explained to humanspublished in 2024. The conversational agent appears as a presence. The elderly person can ask a multitude of questions on various subjects, or confide in them.”
Marie, the AI who chats with seniors
Some have already entered the market, like the young company InTouch. The company offers voice AI technology, named Marie, in homage to the deceased mother of its founder, Vassili Le Moigne. Launched in March 2025, the application is now offered in eighty countries, mainly in Europe and North America.
Concretely, Marie calls her users on average three times a week, always at the same time. In a clear and warm voice, she receives news and asks questions about the daily life and past of the person on the line, based on previous discussions and information provided by loved ones. Excerpts of the conversations are then sent to the family, accompanied by summary messages. “It’s a way to connect the elderly person to their family, in an asynchronous way”assures Vassili Le Moigne.
“No scientific data confirms, to date, a reduction in the feeling of isolation among users of conversational agents.”
The entrepreneur chose to develop his technology around voice, “the last faculty that the elderly lose”. InTouch is designed to stimulate short and long term memory, while remaining easy to use. There is nothing to learn: just pick up your cell phone. “Older people know that Mary is an artificial intelligence, says the engineer. They are still happy to chat with her. Probably because she’s always in a good mood.” The start-up refuses to disclose the number of current users, but claims to have exceeded “the 14,000 conversations”.
A lack of scientific perspective
The specialists interviewed recognize that AI can serve as an intermediary between families and their ancestors. But this enthusiasm comes with some reservations. “No scientific data confirms, to date, a reduction in the feeling of isolation among users of conversational agents like InTouch”tempers Kevin Charras. For Maribel Pino, it is above all a question of finding a “balance between concrete social connections, with humans, and the support that conversations with AI can provide”.
What does research say about the risks associated with the use of chatbots by seniors? Scientists point out a lack of perspective: it is still too early to be able to draw substantiated conclusions on the impact of conversational agents on the elderly. The difficulty in measuring these often subjective effects further complicates the evaluation.
However, certain risks are already documented. When it comes to ethics, anthropomorphism – the tendency to attribute human characteristics to artificial systems – raises questions. “AI can arouse emotions and attachment, especially when it takes human form like robots, underlines Kevin Charras. In some elderly patients, the withdrawal of these technologies can lead to a feeling of abandonment and a form of mourning.
Personal data in the hands of tech giants
Data security is also in question. In the field of geriatrics, AI technologies are multiplying: connected scales, monitoring devices intended to detect falls, new generation hearing aids, assistance robots, etc. These innovations continuously collect and process sensitive data, in order to generate indicators and alerts. Older people, often less familiar with the issues of data protection and digital consent, do not always know where their personal information is stored or how it is used.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 72% of Americans over 65 consider it extremely important to understand how tools using AI work. “It is the responsibility of technology suppliers to look into a charter of ethics specifically dedicated to uses by the elderly, continues the psychology researcher. Such a framework is sorely lacking today.”
“Technology must be part of a solution implemented by the entire community.”
Retirees find out about their health through conversational agents, observes researcher Maribel Pino. According to a survey on aging published in September 2025 by the University of Michigan, 14% of seniors request medical information from ChatGPT and others. However, these answers are not gospel: almost half of Internet users admit to trusting this advice little, if at all. Fortunately, we are still a long way from replacing the doctor with a chatbot.
Misinformation affects all generations
AI also constitutes a vector of disinformation, through the fake news relayed or the falsified content that it allows to produce. The study concerning the French and false information published in March by the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) shows that 97% of those questioned believe they are exposed to false information.
If all age categories are affected, seniors are not the most susceptible to the phenomenon. The main target groups remain men aged 25 to 44 who are finding more information on algorithmic media such as social networks – the main relays for content generated by AI.
So, are chatbots the enemies or allies of our elders? It’s all about balance. “Overall, chatbots capable of informing, amusing and entertaining the person, why not, summarizes Jean-Gabriel Ganascia. But if they contribute to increasing loneliness, it’s terrible. Technology must be part of a solution implemented by the entire community.”
Conversational agents can help maintain the autonomy of elderly people by guiding them in their daily activities, points out Kevin Charras. However, they must “learn to use them carefully”. Used wisely, AI remains a valuable tool, but one that will not replace human contact.
