Special AI class for the elderly in the 4.0 era by the "neighborhood secretary"

Among the students here, the youngest is over 65 years old. They come to class not to get a degree, but to keep up with the pace of life in the digital age.

"Silver-haired" AI class

Early afternoon at residential area number 9, Dich Vong Hau ward (Cau Giay, Hanoi ), old men and women holding smartphones, bags, wearing glasses, walked into a small house deep in the alley.

AI class for seniors only.

This is not a yoga class or a senior citizen club meeting, but an artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation class for seniors.

No blackboard, no chalk, no signboard, this special class was held right at the private home of Mr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Secretary of the Party Cell of Residential Area No. 9, former Deputy Head of the Department of Radio and Television, Academy of Journalism and Propaganda.

The room is only a few dozen square meters wide but is always full. Each class has about 15-20 students, divided into 3 consecutive classes. Each class has 3 sessions, organized in the morning or evening to suit the schedule. The only conditions: the spirit to study and a smartphone.

"The criteria here is that everyone must be positive: think positively, act positively. There is no sadness here, only happiness. Joking is scratching the right itch," Mr. Son said with a laugh.

Mr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Secretary of Party Cell No. 9, former Deputy Head of the Department of Radio and Television, Academy of Journalism and Communication.

The oldest person in the class is 80 years old, the youngest is over 65. Some are professors, masters, some are retired officials, and some are using a smartphone for the first time. They come here with the same desire: to understand technology and not be left behind in the digital age.

So that the elderly are not left behind by 4.0

Mr. Son shared the reason for starting a special class model for the elderly: "I am a communications teacher with experience in digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

Living in a residential area, I realized that the Party and State are strongly promoting digital transformation and popularizing AI.

Mr. Son hopes that the elderly will not be left behind in the digital revolution.

There are many elderly people in society and they are the ones who are easily left behind, not the young. So I thought, why not try to organize a small class to help the elderly access technology and AI?

From that idea, he started to open a pilot class at home. When he proposed the model in the Party Committee meeting, all 7 members agreed and supported it. When he brought it to the Party cell, the older Party members enthusiastically signed up right away.

Mr. Son directly designs the content, teaches and provides technical support to each person. "I teach by hand-holding," he said.

Regarding teaching methods, he shared: "I don't go into high-level theories, but only teach what the elderly need. For example, using electronic identification, booking bus tickets or looking up administrative procedures... Those things are both practical and suitable for the elderly's age."

Simple, easy to understand, practical methods help students feel close and comfortable. There is no distance between teacher and student. There is no age barrier.

Mr. Son added: "The elderly operate slowly, but they have time and a spirit of learning. I believe that if they are properly inspired, they will not be left behind in the digital age."

Understanding technology, the elderly are no longer afraid of this unfamiliar field.

For him, the most important thing is to change awareness: "Old people are often told by their children and grandchildren "you're old, why study", then threatened that they are easily scammed, so they are even more afraid. As a result, they lose their motivation to study. Therefore, the first thing to do is to train awareness. We have to let them understand that they can still study, and now there is a support tool: artificial intelligence".

Using AI to know "what to eat today?", write poetry, and music

What makes the class special is not just the teaching method but also the experience of each student, who was once afraid of technology, but now becomes an inspiration.

People who were once afraid of technology are now inspiring.

"I hope that after the course, you can return to teach your neighbors in the neighborhood. I follow Uncle Ho's ideology in the mass education movement - those who know should teach those who don't know.

Technology is not as difficult as you think. Once you know how to download, install and use it, you will be able to do it and then teach others. I can only teach 15, 20 or 60 people. But if each person shares it with 3-4 others, there will be hundreds of people learning together. That is the real way to spread it," Mr. Son expressed his enthusiasm.

The benefits of these small classes extend beyond just technology. Many older students are confident using their smartphones for research, communication, and even creativity.

Students attentively take notes on new knowledge.

The teacher recalled: "I remember Ms. Thoa, former head of the Faculty of Journalism, a PhD, retired a long time ago. After the second class, she called me, very excited: "Son, I love it! Last night I asked AI about my diet, it prescribed me a scientific menu for the whole week!" That is an example showing that AI is completely close, useful, and not difficult to approach."

Professor Dr. Duong Xuan Ngoc, 75 years old, former Deputy Director of the Academy of Journalism and Communication, is one of the students in the class.

"I am not unfamiliar with technology, but AI is different. It is new and very attractive. This class helps me update quickly, especially applying technology to teaching, searching, and payment," Professor Ngoc shared.

Prof. Dr. Duong Xuan Ngoc, 75 years old, former Deputy Director of the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

For Professor Ngoc, the class also has the meaning of connecting generations: "Before, I was afraid to bother my children and grandchildren. Now that I've finished studying, I might be able to help them in return. The most important thing is the spirit: I still study and still live proactively."

Ms. Tran Thu Hien, 71-year-old Head of the Women's Association of Residential Area No. 9, also had a similar experience.

"Before, there were many things I wanted to ask my child, but I was shy because he spoke so fast that I couldn't understand. In class, I feel much more comfortable. I can ask questions, try, and make mistakes. I hope my children and grandchildren understand that learning has no age and adults also need support to shorten the generation gap," she shared.

Ms. Tran Thu Hien, Head of Women's Association of Residential Area No. 9.

During the course, many students encountered difficulties due to old equipment that was not compatible with some applications. However, everyone attended class regularly, on time, took careful notes, and persevered in each step.

Teacher Son said: "In every class, we take pictures of the class. Then, we use AI to compose poems, combine music, and create commemorative clips. Like on March 8, the class even made a song praising women in the neighborhood. All thanks to AI. We both learn and create."

After just three lessons, many students were able to use TikTok, look up directions, book a ride, write poetry, and even create music using AI.

Ms. Hien smiled: "I just download any application I'm not familiar with and practice gradually. After finishing the course, I feel like I'm no longer left behind."

AI is used by the elderly to create music and write poetry.

Mr. Son currently has more than 150 applications on his phone, but for his students, he only chooses a few truly necessary applications that are closely related to daily needs.

"AI is a very powerful tool but it still lacks emotions. The rest is human work. We have to put emotions in to complete what machines cannot do," he said.

An integral part of the curriculum is anti-fraud skills. This is also a topic that is of interest and highly appreciated by older students.

Talking about using social networks, Mr. Son has only two principles: "One is not to be afraid of anyone, two is not to be greedy. If you keep those two things, no one can deceive you."

Ms. Hien nodded: "After the course, I feel more cautious and confident when using social networks. Because I know how to identify tricks and how to avoid them, I feel more secure."

When value is not measured by money

Students do not have to pay any fees but the classes still take place regularly. For Mr. Son, that is the clearest proof of the power of community spirit, which cannot be measured by money.

"If we were to do a community project that relied on money as the foundation, a class like this would cost at least tens of millions of dong to organize. But if we just calculate in terms of money, we wouldn't be able to do anything.

On the contrary, we prove that we can do it without any money. This is a completely free class for the elderly, without any fees. And that is the point. If you have money, anyone can do it, there is no need for us," Mr. Son shared.

The atmosphere in the classroom is always friendly and cheerful. After each class, many people stay behind to chat, share experiences, and even form small study groups. Some bring fruit, others carefully record the content of the class to send to friends who could not attend.

From the small residential area, the spirit of learning began to spread. Many Party cells, Women's Associations and neighboring wards came to ask to open similar classes. The Women's Association of Dich Vong Hau Ward also invited Mr. Son to teach a separate training class for its members. Many grassroots cadres considered this a model worth replicating.

Students do not have to pay any fees but classes still take place regularly.

From the initial success, Mr. Son and his students continued to launch a photo and video contest in the residential area, with the theme of capturing everyday moments, reflecting changes in the neighborhood from a technological perspective.

"There are people who have created TikTok channels, people who sent photos from the time when the streets were flooded and now they are clean and beautiful. There are groups of women who went to hot springs and also submitted clips to the contest. We are not looking for professionalism. We are looking for real emotions from real people," Mr. Son shared.

The competition is scheduled to conclude at the end of April, with a panel of photographers as judges to ensure fairness. This is not just an after-school activity but also a new step to integrate the elderly into the digital environment.

From a small house in a residential area, a classroom without blackboard or chalk has become a place to ignite the spirit of learning and connect generations. There, people who thought they had passed their youth are starting a new journey: a journey of living positively and proactively in the digital age.

Mr. Son believes: "If you don't learn, you're really old. But if you learn with joy and inspiration, no one is too old to start."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/lop-hoc-ai-dac-biet-cho-nguoi-gia-thoi-40-cua-thay-bi-thu-xom-20250327215559420.htm