Seniors use AI to recreate moments with deceased loved ones, find emotional connection

An innovative initiative by Peru's National Pensions Office (ONP) is bridging the digital divide for senior citizens by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. Held at Casa Yuyaq, a workshop taught elderly participants how to use AI tools on their smartphones to create digital images, effectively recreating moments with family members who have passed away.

“

I feel emotional

The program focuses on practical application, enabling pensioners to engage with new technologies through hands-on activities. Participants learned to use editing applications to generate photographs that never existed or to bring back to life scenes previously confined to memory. The results have evoked profound emotional responses, with many sharing their moving experiences.

“

The experience allowed me to remember important moments of my life.

One participant, María Luz San Miguel, tearfully described the experience of seeing an image of herself with her deceased husband. She expressed how the AI-generated photograph allowed her to reconnect with important memories after many years. Another attendee created a picture embracing his father, a moment he had never captured in real life, finding deep emotional resonance in the resulting image.

“

I felt moved to obtain an image that was not part of my family album and that I will now keep as a special memory.

Gastón Remy, head of the ONP, highlighted the initiative's goal to equip seniors with technological skills for greater autonomy with mobile devices and digital tools. He emphasized that AI can serve as a valuable resource for digital inclusion, offering new ways to interact with and preserve family memories, proving that learning has no age limit.

“

The goal is for pensioners to develop technological skills that allow them to use mobile devices with greater autonomy and take advantage of available digital tools.