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    AI Companions

    Guidance for Professionals Serving Older Adults

    senior care provider at health fair

    How and Why Older Adults use AI Companion Bots

    A recent 2025 AARP AI survey of almost 700 older adults over the age of 60 indicated that 58% heavily relied on technology daily using multiple apps, devices and advanced features. Eighty-four percent indicated that they are just beginning to use AI. For an older adult experiencing loss and social isolation, AI can appear to provide immediate companionship — but long term, that companionship could turn into a dangerous risk. 

    Potential Harms and Warning Signs

    AI companion bots have data and privacy security risks. AI companion bots collect a wide range of data including user preferences, location, and communication history. Due to their lack of experience with AI, older adults may not know what type of information is safe to share or are too trustworthy of the information being shared by the AI companion bot. 

    AI companion bots may provide access to an older adult’s personal information, making them targets for scams.     Companion bots can manipulate older adults into thinking they are speaking with a human instead of a machine and unknowingly creating the opportunity for being scammed. 
       
    AI scams can have a significant impact on an older adult’s finances and well-being.     Over the past several years in Pennsylvania, financial exploitation of older adults has become the number one type of alleged abuse reported to older adult protective services. Financial exploitation is significantly under-reported with only 1 in 10 cases being reported because an older adult feels embarrassed, powerless and blames themself. An older adult could lose a significant percentage of their retirement savings to AI scams. 
      
    Some examples of AI scams from the National Council on Aging include: 
      
    Voice cloning – using short audio samples to impersonate authority figures or even loved ones. Voice cloning is often used in scams where the criminal pretends to be a family member who is in trouble and needs money sent to them urgently.  



    Deepfake scams – using AI technology to generate convincing videos, photos, and audio clips that make it seem like someone said or did something they didn’t.  


    Phishing emails - using email and other methods to steal personal information 
      
    Fake websites that collect personal information, leading to identity theft or financial fraud. 

    Over the past several years in Pennsylvania, financial exploitation of older adults has become the number one type of alleged abuse reported to older adult protective services. 

    Warning Signs Include:


    🚪 Withdrawal from friends and family 

    😓 Loss of interest in hobbies 

    ⛈️ Mood changes 

    😔 Feelings of loneliness 

    💬 Preference for AI over human interaction  

    💰Large cash withdrawals or payments to stores that sell gift cards 

    💵 Repeated, small dollar transactions observed in the older adult’s bank or credit card statements 

    🙌 Excitement about winning a prize or an investment opportunity 

    👩‍❤️‍👨 Excitement about a new “relationship” with someone not known to the family 
     
    💳 Use of wire transfers or money orders when not normally used 

    🚩 Red flags that a communication could be an AI scam may include: 


    • Unusual requests for personal information: Be cautious if someone contacts you out of the blue and asks for sensitive details, like your Social Security number or bank account information. 
    • Outdated content: Many AI tools and bots are trained on limited data sets, which causes them to generate text that contains stale information. 
    • Unnatural language: Technology that uses generative AI often produces language that sounds generic or just slightly "off." You might notice things like odd paragraph structures, nonsensical sentences, and repetitive use of certain words and phrases. 
    • High-pressure pitches: Fraudulent ads and scam emails are designed to create a sense of urgency, pressuring you to make quick decisions without thinking it through. 
    • Requests for payment in unconventional forms: Be suspicious if someone asks for payment in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. These payment methods are usually untraceable, which is why they’re often used by scammers. 
    • Visual or audio inconsistencies: Look for subtle oddities in language, tone, or visual quality that may point to the use of deepfake technology—especially in videos, phone calls, and recorded messages. 

    How SCs, CHC-MCOs, and area agencies on aging can educate older adults and caregivers

    Education Planning

    Education on the use of AI can be included in the person-centered planning process. These discussions should be framed as open and non-judgmental, focusing on whether older adults are familiar with AI companion bots, their beliefs on how bots and other forms of AI should be used, their understanding of how they work, and what kinds of thoughts they feel more comfortable asking bots instead of humans.  
       


    Virtual AI Resources

    Discuss the Benefits



    Highlight the benefits of AI. Have a conversation with older adults about the benefits of AI companion bots and other AI technologies that can assist with health outcomes.  

    AI Care Companions for Seniors

    Educate Yourself

    Host educational events at Senior Centers on the safe use of AI companion bots.

    Take AI test-drives as a class as an opportunity to use AI together to understand how companion AI companion bots work and what to use it for. Explain to older adults and caregivers that AI companion bots are not human and are designed to engage and validate users. They cannot offer true feedback and instead might share incorrect information.

    AARP Online Classes

    Discuss the Risks

    Discuss the risks of AI. Discuss the risks associated with the overuse of AI companion bots and other AI technologies. Older Adults and caregivers should be informed about warning signs of unhealthy AI use and know how to report concerning interactions or emotional distress. If warning signs are visible in the older adult, SCs and CHC-MCOs should have protocols in place for referring to these situations and communicating to families, recommending they speak to the older adult’s health care professional.  

    Teach Prompts and Wording

    Teach older adults about the importance of prompts and wording when speaking with AI companion bots. Ask older adults to write a single prompt and then another question with slightly different wording. Compare the responses the AI companion bot offers and discuss why the platform gave different answers.