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AI & AI: Age Inclusivity and AI

Writer's picture: Jacynth BassettJacynth Bassett

What role can AI play in a future that is age inclusive? Or rather, what role can age inclusivity experts play in a future of AI? 


Last week I had the pleasure of attending The Future Laboratory 's 2025 trend briefing, having been invited by co-founder Martin Raymond , which offered brilliant, informed and detailed insight, analysis and future thinking around AI, perceptions of it, and what they call the "Sythocene Era.”


We know AI is the future. We also know age-inclusivity is the future. We have an ageing population, and you don’t need me to remind you of the many, many social and commercial cases for embracing and championing age inclusivity as a brand. 


And, as highlighted at conference, AI will increasingly play an integral role in responding to the needs and demands of our ageing population and the longevity space, providing innovation, practices, diagnostics and solutions to optimise and extend life. 


But what about when it comes to the ‘woollier’ creative areas such as marketing, visuals, narratives and comms around age inclusivity, ageing and longevity? 

Because it’s all very well trying to future proof your business by tapping into the burgeoning age space and older demographics through products and services, but if you can’t communicate and market them authentically, consistently and effectively, then you’re going to face insurmountable hurdles. 

"AI provides co-intelligence, not substitute intelligence."

Well, as it was reiterated throughout the conference, we must not think of AI as a fix or answer in its entirety. We need to reframe our understanding around AI to appreciate and use it for the collaborative role it can - and should - play; not one of replacement. Because it provides co-intelligence, not substitute intelligence.


As discussed by Martyn Gooding , EMA creative director at Microsoft , too many businesses and organisations seek AI as a problem solver and replacement, not as an additive collaborative partner. And if you just rely on it as the former, you will inevitably face issues. 

For example, we often discuss how AI is bias. It is based on algorithms that have been programmed by humans. And given 1 in 2 of us holding heavily ageist attitudes and we learn ageist stereotypes from as young as the age of 4 ( World Health Organization ), there is a pretty high chance AI is going to be ageist too. 


But this is exactly why in turn AI requires informed, expert critical HUMAN thinking: to work in tandem with it, to connect the dots, and to unpick and remove these age stereotypes, prejudices and attitudes.  Otherwise it will just fuel them, and create bigger problems.

Had Indeed's writers and marketing team been educated on ageism and age inclusivity, they could have used AI as a partner to write an engaging, important piece about age and the workplace, rather than relied on AI

Just look at language and the use of chat GPT. I’ve been unimpressed - and yet unsurprised - by the many examples I’ve seen of the language and phraseology it uses when discussing age.


Take THAT viral and universally panned Indeed article. Yes, that one that presented career progression and stages through a heaving ageist and outdated paradigm (at both ends of the spectrum):




Well some have speculated it was Chat GPT generated… 


If this was the case, where was the accompanying human critical thinking, education and compassion that could have shaped the article to be less ageist (or simply stopped it being published altogether)?  Had the writers and marketing team been properly educated on ageism and age inclusivity, they could have used AI as a partner to write an engaging, important piece about age and the workplace, rather than relied on AI. 


And if AI hadn’t been used, the case still remains for the need to better educate their teams internally on ageism…. (credit to Indeed's CMO Jessica Jensen for apologising for and acknowledging how problematic the article was). 


And Indeed isn’t alone. Our 230k+ Ageism Is Never In Style® community regularly flags a plethora of articles that are seemingly age progressive & inclusive, but still use loaded, outdated or even unintentionally offensive imagery, terminology and phrases. 

The age space is ever evolving, and the narrative is filled with complexities. Solely relying on AI to navigate and address it isn't the answer.

In a space that is ever evolving and the narrative is filled with complexities, solely relying on AI to navigate and address it isn’t the answer. 


Fortunately that’s exactly where Ageism Is Never In Style® comes in. Because, in the knowledge that age inclusivity is the future - socially and commercially, we thrive off our years of knowledge, integration & compassionate audience insight and expertise. 

So, if and when, you choose to use AI to tap into this lucrative space in order to future proof your business, we are here to work with it, to curate, assess and audit content, and to provide you and your team with the necessary critical thinking, education and understanding that’s not just important - it’s imperative. 


If you’d like to find out more how Ageism Is Never In Style® can work with you, email partnerships@ageismisneverinstyle.com


Keep an eye out for my upcoming podcast episode with Martin too where we delve into the future of ageing and ageism in more detail. 

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