An AI event for seniors coming to Lugano on Sept 11: a two-hour session dedicated to the elderly
AI and the elderly in Ticino: a two-hour free workshop will be held in Lugano on September 11th to learn how to use it and recognize phone scams
I often receive phone calls from worried readers. The most recent involved a voice on the phone, identical to that of a grandson, urgently asking for money. Once, those imitations were clumsy. Today, a few seconds of audio taken from a social media video are enough to clone a voice. The Cantonal Police have been repeating it for months: shock calls from a fake grandson or a fake police officer remain the most profitable method against the elderly.
The same tool, however, is capable of reading a health insurance letter and rewriting it in understandable words. It depends on who uses it. And on how much you know about it.
The gap exists and is measurable. The Federal Statistical Office, in a survey published in June, counts just 15% of over-60s using artificial intelligence, compared to 75% of young people between 15 and 29. It is not a distrust of digital in general: Pro Senectute's Digital Seniors study shows that nine out of ten over-65s are already online. What is missing is the opportunity to try it, with someone alongside to explain calmly.
In Ticino, the issue carries more weight than elsewhere. At the end of 2024, 24% of residents were over the age of 65, approximately 86,000 people, compared to a Swiss average of 19.5%.
The opportunity arrives on Friday, September 11. From 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, at the OCST cantonal headquarters at via Serafino Balestra 19 in Lugano, "Active Aging with AI" will be held, a practical workshop designed for the third age. Free admission, final refreshments provided, under the patronage of the City of Lugano and the Council of State. The project was created by Ticyweb with Linkfloyd, the City of Lugano, and GenerazionePiù of the OCST, as part of the Swiss {ai} Weeks, the national event that brings over 180 events to 37 Swiss cities until October 4, about thirty of which are in Ticino.
These are not lectures. Work is done in small groups, with a phone or computer in hand, guided by Lorenzo Barisone, Alessandra Prada, Roberto Zanetti, Nicola Camponovo, Jessica Buzzolini, and Pietro Veragouth. Gaetano Biondo will moderate. Participants will learn how to search for information, recognize fake content, and get help with the small tasks of everyday life. Registration is done at luma.com/n1c41enk and is subject to approval, as places are limited.
In the meantime, here are three things to do right away. First: agree on a family password with children and grandchildren. Anyone asking for money over the phone must be able to say it. No exceptions, even when the voice is crying. Second: when faced with a suspicious call, hang up and call the number you have in your contacts yourself, never the one that appears on the display. If doubt remains, 117 is always there to answer.
The third is lighter. Try artificial intelligence on a boring, low-risk task. Open ChatGPT or Gemini from your phone, paste the text of a bureaucratic letter, and ask it to explain it in simple words. It works just like asking a neighbor for help who understands "officialese." With two rules: never enter personal data, account numbers, or medical reports, and always verify important answers, because these programs can be confidently wrong.
When the first "Natel" mobile phones arrived, many swore they didn't need one. Then they learned in a week. Artificial intelligence is at the same point. Friday afternoon in Lugano, there are people who will explain it to you calmly, without jargon and without selling you anything. Two hours. And the refreshments are on them.
All info and registration at: https://luma.com/n1c41enk
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