Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of Sherrod D. Pigee
Featured photo: Sherrod D. Pigee talked to a group of about 60 very interested seniors at a previous Senior AI Education event.
“We laughed, and I told them, ‘What is the first thing I told you when I stood up? I said we’re learning together,’ and she said ‘yes, you’re right.’”
Pigee said at that point his heart was “so full.”
“I felt like I was giving back to my parents, and in giving back it was just overwhelming – because they had more questions like: ‘What is ChatGPT?’ What is AI?’
Pigee explained to the seniors that if they have Sirius or Alexa, they were already using AI.
After the meeting, the seniors expressed ample gratitude. Pigee said some seniors stayed for two hours after the event was over asking questions.
“It wasn’t about the money. I didn’t charge anybody anything.”
Pigee decided to then create an entire system, which he called SAFETRION™. SAFETRION™ is a software for homes that is put on phones and allows seniors’ families to track what they are doing inside their homes, even from outside of the state.
There are plans to create a SAFETRION™ community at a later date.
“We’re going to keep this going…We’re looking to partner with schools. We’re looking for the perfect partner.”
For the upcoming event at the library, a representative from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department will be coming to teach about AI scams. AI experts will also be speaking.
Pigee stated the increased need for senior AI education is based not only on the fact seniors are scared of AI.
“Also, the population of seniors who live alone is astronomical. What we’re trying to do is create a partner within, a friendly partner that they’re not scared of, built into their everyday life. We’re going to give SAFETRION™ away to each client that comes through that door.”
Since Pigee is a native of Flint, giving back to the city is important to him.
Each attending senior will receive a notebook. They will be able to access a take-home guide, which will be able to be downloaded with a QR code. There will also be a weekly, informative newsletter they can subscribe to. Additionally, there is already a website they can visit: seniorAI.com.
“Senior AI education is going to be a continuation of education, of learning smart devices, learning everything there is to know about AI and AI tools.”
Seating is limited to 100 seniors. To reserve a spot, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/senior-ai-education-tickets-1982079323613.
