Help an older relative start using AI, safely
Set up an AI assistant together on their phone or tablet, start with things they care about, and agree a few house rules that keep scammers out.
In 30 seconds
- Set it up together on their own device, with bigger text and voice mode, and let them drive.
- Start with three things they care about, such as a confusing letter, a recipe or a hobby.
- Agree a family code word, because scammers can clone voices. If in doubt, hang up and call back.
Perhaps your dad has watched you ask your phone for a recipe and said it’s all beyond him. It isn’t. An Jargon busterAI assistant: A chat app such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini that answers questions and does tasks you describe in plain language. is one of the easier bits of technology to pick up, because you just ask in your own words. What helps is an unhurried hour together, a few first tasks worth doing and some house rules that keep scammers out.
Help, don’t take over
Your relative has decades of experience of getting things done. They don’t need a lecture, just a patient guide. Let them hold the phone and do the tapping, even when it’s slower. Doing it themselves is how it sticks.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| Taking the phone and doing it for them | Talking them through it while they tap |
| Words like “prompt” and “model” | Plain English: “type your question here” |
| Showing off everything it can do | One task they actually want done |
| Sighing at the same question twice | Writing the steps on a card to keep by the phone |
Set it up together
- Pick one assistantOne is plenty. Choose one you know, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Microsoft Copilot, so you can help when they’re stuck.
- Install the real appDownload it from the official app store and check the developer is the real company. Set up their own account, not yours, so their chats stay private.
- Make it easy to readTurn up the text size in the phone or tablet’s settings, and the brightness if that helps.
- Try voice modeMany assistants let you talk instead of type: tap the microphone or voice button, speak naturally and hear the answer read aloud.
- Make it easy to findPut the app on the home screen, and write down how to open it on a card they can keep.
Three first tasks they’ll care about
Skip the party tricks. Start with something from their own week, and let them type or say it themselves.
- Explain a letterPhotograph a confusing letter, with names and account numbers covered, and ask what it means and what to do next.
- Recipe ideas“What can I cook for one with chickpeas, an onion and some spinach?” Then ask for the steps one at a time.
- A hobby questionWhy are my tomato leaves curling? What’s the small brown bird in my garden? Hobby questions make good first chats.
Please explain this letter in plain English, in short sentences. What is it about, do I need to do anything, and by when? If anything is unclear, say so rather than guessing. [Photo or text of the letter, with names and account numbers covered]
Agree the house rules
Agree these together and write them on the same card. Present them as the rules you follow too, not as rules for them alone.
- Never type in bank details, passwords or PINs. An assistant doesn’t need them to help.
- Check health and money answers. AI can be confidently wrong, a Jargon busterHallucination: When AI states something false as if it were true, because it predicts plausible words rather than checking facts., so check with a GP, a pharmacist, NHS 111 or MoneyHelper before acting.
- Treat urgency as a warning sign. Any call, message or advert that rushes you about money deserves a pause.
- Ask me any time. No question is too small, and I’d always rather hear about something odd than not.
Scams that use AI
Criminals use AI too. Jargon busterVoice cloning: Using AI to copy someone’s voice from a short recording, so it can say things they never said. can copy a voice from a short clip online, so a call can sound just like you, in trouble and needing money. And Jargon busterDeepfake: A fake video, image or voice recording made with AI to look or sound like a real person. adverts show celebrities promoting investments they have nothing to do with.
- A family code wordAgree a word or phrase only your family knows. If a caller asking for help can’t say it, hang up.
- Hang up and call backRing back on a number you already have. To check a call from ‘the bank’, use the number on the back of the card.
- Doubt celebrity advertsA famous face recommending an investment is a warning sign, however real the video looks or sounds.
- Report itIn England, Wales and Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Forward scam texts to 7726, which is free and helps the phone network block the sender. Then step back: the aim is a relative who uses AI confidently on their own, and knows they can always ask you. For the privacy settings worth checking together, read is AI safe to use?
Check yourself
3 quick questions nothing is savedTools in this guide
- CChatGPTOpenAI’s general-purpose assistant for writing, questions, analysis and images.
- GGeminiGoogle’s assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and Android.
- CClaudeAnthropic’s assistant, strong at long documents, careful writing and code.
- MMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft’s assistant across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365 apps.
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