Why AI Literacy is Quickly Becoming a Safety Skill for Older Adults
By John Hays, SVP Residential Marketing, Cox Communications
It’s a Tuesday afternoon when the phone buzzes.
“Hi Grandma. I’m really sorry to do this, but I’m in trouble. I’m out of town, and I need help right now. Please don’t call – just wire $1,850 so I can get home safely. I’ll explain later. I love you.”
The message sounds like your grandchild. The tone sounds familiar, and the urgency feels real, and that’s exactly the problem.
Across the country, older adults are encountering sophisticated grandparent scams just like this, whether texts, emails, or voicemails that appear to come from a grandchild, a neighbor, or even a trusted institution. Increasingly, these messages are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can impersonate voices, writing styles, and emotional cues with uncanny accuracy.
According to Cox Mobile’s Online Safety Survey, 40% of seniors experienced cybersecurity threats, such as phishing scams, malware, and data breaches, compared to only 18% of teens.
In recognition of National Safety Month this June, conversations about safety can no longer stop at passwords and antivirus software. Today, staying safe also means knowing how to question what’s being seen, heard, and read online. AI literacy today is becoming a modern life skill that’s no different than learning to drive defensively or lock your front door at night.
Knowing When to Pause
There’s a common misconception that AI literacy requires technical expertise. You don’t need to understand how algorithms are trained or how systems work behind the scenes. What matters most is learning how AI-generated content behaves, how it tries to sound credible, and how it often uses speed and emotion to bypass good judgment.
For older adults, that awareness matters most in the everyday places where technology shows up. Video chats, online banking, telehealth visits, social media, and shopping all offer convenience and independence, but they also create more points of contact for bad actors. In fact, Cox Mobile’s survey found that 73% of seniors identify online shopping as a top safety concern, as AI-generated reviews, fake storefronts, and impersonated customer support become more prevalent.
AI tools can masterfully create messages that sound caring, frantic, or authoritative. They can clone voices from short audio clips and produce fake reviews, customer service chats, and emergency requests – as in the opening example.
When these capabilities are combined with personal information scraped from social media or public records, scams can feel, look, and sound strikingly personal.
This isn’t a failure of common sense but rather a reflection of how convincing technology has become.
Cox Mobile’s survey data reinforces this risk. Nearly one in three seniors (32%) experienced misinformation or disinformation in the past year, showing that deceptive content isn’t
confined to phishing scams or social platforms. When AI-generated responses are taken at face value, the potential for harm only grows.
Why Families and Caregivers are Part of the Safety Equation
For seniors, online safety conversations don’t happen in isolation. They happen between parents and adult children, grandparents and grandchildren, and neighbors and caregivers.
Those conversations matter because AI-driven scams often target relationships, not devices.
That’s why AI literacy works best when it’s shared. Families can help by:
· Talking through common scam scenarios together
· Agreeing on simple verification rules, like we never ask for money by text or unverified phone call
· Encouraging seniors to check in before acting on urgent messages
A “Know-Before-You-Scroll” Mental Checklist
Instead of memorizing red flags, seniors can rely on a concise mental checklist – something to run through whenever a message triggers urgency, fear, or pressure.
Before responding, pause and ask:
1. Is this message pushing me to act immediately? Urgency is a primary tactic in AI-driven scams. Real emergencies allow time to confirm details, while scams try to eliminate it.
2. Does it ask me not to call or check with anyone else? Requests for secrecy are a strong signal that something isn’t right, especially when money, gift cards, or wire transfers are involved.
3. Am I being asked for personal or financial information? Legitimate companies and family members rarely need sensitive information sent by text or email.
4. Can I verify this through a separate channel? If the message claims to be from a loved one, call them directly using a known number. If it claims to be from a company, go to the official website and not the provided link.
5. How does this message make me feel? Fear, panic, and guilt are emotional shortcuts scammers rely on. Strong emotion is often a cue to slow down, not speed up.
These questions don’t require technical knowledge – just awareness and permission to pause.
Confidence is the Goal
Technology will keep evolving. Although AI tools will get faster, smarter, and more convincing, that doesn’t mean older adults should retreat from the digital world. With the right conversations, habits, and shared understanding, AI literacy can support the independence, connection, and confidence seniors value most.
Staying safe today is about using technology thoughtfully, with the same caution we apply to everyday life decisions. When families approach AI literacy as a shared responsibility, everyone benefits.
Because sometimes the safest response isn’t to react. It’s pausing, picking up the phone, and asking one more question.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cox Mobile, part of Cox Communications, is the wireless service available to Cox Internet customers nationwide, running on a network with reliable 5G coverage and offering unlimited talk and text with two simple plan options. The latest research from Cox Mobile shares insights to help customers stay connected and navigate today’s digital world safely.
