Teach a ChatGPT class for fellow seniors, fact-checking included
A Hacker News commenter says his retired father teaches ChatGPT classes for seniors and has won over many of his friends. One woman declined because she couldn't trust every answer, and the son thinks her caution is fair.
What they did
His dad teaches classes to seniors, encourages friends to try ChatGPT, and reports back on who he has converted.
How it went
His father admits ChatGPT has made mistakes that he caught. The son uses AI to speed up searching, then clicks through to the cited source to check the details.
Worth knowing
Both sides have a point: AI is useful, and it is sometimes confidently wrong. The most valuable thing to teach is the habit of asking for sources and checking them.
Try it yourself
Copy this into ChatGPT (or any AI assistant). Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details.
I'm teaching a one-hour beginner class on ChatGPT for adults over 65. Create a lesson plan with: three everyday demos (for example a recipe, a letter, a trip question), one live example of ChatGPT making a mistake and how to catch it, how to ask for sources and check them, and five privacy rules (never share Social Security, Medicare, or bank numbers). Add a one-page handout in large print.
Source: Hacker News commenter al_borland, Hacker News, Feb 16, 2026. Read the original →
First-hand account by the person who did it. Summarized in our own words. Spotted a mistake or want this removed? Tell us.