I taught my Grandpa how to use ChatGPT. Here’s what happened.
It wasn’t simple, but it was worth it.
Have you ever tried teaching ChatGPT to your dad or even grandpa? I did it.
You might be just as curious and skeptical about the outcome as I was when I decided to do it. I was not expecting it at all, but the final result amazed me so much that I felt the need to share it with all of you to encourage you to try it.
Here’s why you should teach ChatGPT to your grandparents and the approach I used to overcome many challenges I encountered.
First of all, why I did it
To give you some context, I have to say that my Grandpa used to be the type of person who always makes fun of everything, shares memories with others, and tries to maintain an active lifestyle.
However, after my Grandma passed away many years ago, nothing has been the same for him. Now he lives alone and his body doesn’t allow him to do much during the day so he has to spend most of his time on the couch listening to the radio, reading books, or watching tv.
His deepest desire is to never lose his hopeful vision of life, but with each passing day, it becomes more difficult for him. This is when the idea of teaching him how to use ChatGPT came up and it has been great for him ever since.
If you’re wondering why, here are some of the benefits that ChatGPT has for elderly people:
- Social interaction: ChatGPT can provide a sense of companionship and social engagement for grandparents, especially if they live alone or have limited opportunities for socializing.
- Cognitive stimulation: Interacting with ChatGPT can provide mental stimulation and help keep their minds active.
- Bridging the generation gap: Teaching grandparents to use ChatGPT allows them to connect with younger family members who are more tech-savvy.
- Entertainment and leisure: ChatGPT can provide grandparents with entertainment and leisure activities. They can play word games, get book recommendations, explore hobbies, etc.
Teaching ChatGPT to my grandpa wasn’t simple. Here’s how I did it
My first and main piece of advice is: to be extremely patient with his times and needs.
Remember that they are not as used to technology as we are and some of them may not understand it like we do, so take it easy. It’s possible, but it will take some time.
My first step was to introduce him to the concept of what ChatGPT is and how it works. I told him that it can answer questions, have conversations, and provide information on a wide range of topics. To help him take a realistic approach to it I demonstrated him the capabilities it has by showing him some examples of how ChatGPT works.
Once he got a better understanding of it, he asked me a ton of questions about the limitless possibilities ChatGPT has. Even though he was still unsure, a sparkle in his eyes showed up and I could see how he was imagining himself having a good time talking with it.
Seeing his good attitude about it I decided to explain to him that it has some limitations. In the end, we have to be realistic and while it can provide useful information, it’s not perfect and may sometimes give wrong or incomplete answers.
My Grandpa is one of those who believes technology has to be perfect and I didn’t want him to trust it 100%. At this point is when I decided to remind him of the importance of fact-checking and verifying information from reliable sources and having critical thinking.
Anyway, I broke down the process of using ChatGPT into simple steps, starting with basic commands like asking questions or initiating a conversation.
He was starting to feel overwhelmed so I wrote down the steps on a piece of paper to give him a simple guide to refer to.
We practiced together for a week. I sat down with him and encouraged him to ask questions or have conversations with the model to let him become more comfortable. Remember once again you have to be very patient and respectful with their process.
Some grandparents might not learn quickly and we can’t put more pressure on them. I decided to teach him as a fun way to learn and be more connected, but if they don’t want you to do it, you should never force them.
Even though the learning process didn’t take us much time (2 weeks), there were many challenges along the way. The 3 main ones were:
- Technological familiarity: he has some knowledge about it because he has a smartphone, but not as much as he needed to this. Navigating the interface and understanding the basic functions took us around 3 days.
- Fear of making mistakes: he was worried about making mistakes or “breaking” the technology so I encouraged him to experiment and I assured him that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and ChatGPT was a safe environment for him to explore.
- Typing difficulties: as you can imagine, small devices and elderly people are not best friends, but they can work. Fortunately, he does know how to write so I only had to remind him to be patient until he could master it. He only needed to get used to it and after a week he could see great results.
How is my grandpa using ChatGPT now?
It has been a month since he started, and he calls me a lot to keep me updated on his progress. I’m truly happy for him. He’s not only feeling rejuvenated, but he found a new purpose to get out of bed without thinking so much about his loneliness.
He decided to focus his use of ChatGPT on discussing his favorite books, seeking information with some value (not only seeing all the bad news that is shared on TV), and asking ChatGPT to create fun quizzes and games to keep his brain actively learning.
I know this adventure might sound a bit crazy, but I’ve seen all the process in person and I could have never imagined this idea would end up like this.
Take into consideration your grandparent’s situation before trying anything, but if they’re bored with their life or they’re feeling alone, give ChatGPT a chance.
In a world like ours where technology is part of us and we don’t have all the time we would like to have to spend with them. Teaching grandparents how to use ChatGPT can be the perfect excuse to share something and give them a new tool.
Be patient, trust the process, and do it for a bigger purpose. Elderly people deserve the chance to keep learning and be part of society. Enjoy their little experiences together and take care of them as much as you can.
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I would love to have you along my journey and be part of your growth.
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