The Helper and the Robot

AI assistants and in-home companion robots are arriving fast. Here is how to use the first, what the second can and can’t do, and how both might help you enjoy more of your life, not less.

I’m not a medical, legal or financial professional, however I have been in the tech industry for the last 1994. My experience is in networking, business hardware and technology intergration. AI tools can be wrong, and products change. Use this as a starting point, not final advice.

Two things are changing fast. One is the AI assistant on your phone or computer. The other is the small companion robot that sits on a table.

Neither will replace the people in your life. Both might give you more time and energy for them.

Where older adults actually are

Start with the facts, because the headlines exaggerate.

Pew Research Center found in February 2026 that 42 percent of adults 50 to 64 and 23 percent of adults 65 and older had ever used an AI chatbot, up from 25 percent and 12 percent in 2024. Only 7 percent of those 65 and older use one daily. Just 6 percent of that group say they are very confident using chatbots.

AARP Research, surveying 3,838 adults in fall 2025, found AI use among people 50 and over rose from 18 percent in 2024 to 30 percent in 2025. The top worries were trust, privacy and data security.

So if you haven’t tried it, you’re in the majority. And if you’re nervous, that’s reasonable.

Part one: five ways to use an AI assistant

An AI assistant is a program you talk to by typing or speaking. ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot are the most used, according to Pew. Start with something low-stakes.

1. Plan a trip. Ask for a three-day itinerary with a slow pace, nearby restrooms and benches, and no long stairs. Then check hours and prices on the official sites.

2. Explain a confusing letter. Paste in the text of a bill or notice (with names, numbers and addresses removed) and ask, “What is this asking me to do, in plain English?”

3. Draft something. A note to a grandchild, a complaint letter, a toast. You edit it until it sounds like you.

4. Learn a hobby. Ask for a beginner’s plan for gardening, watercolor or a language, with fifteen minutes a day.

5. Cook. Tell it what is in your fridge and what you can’t eat.

The rules that keep you safe

Never type passwords, Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers. An AI that asks for them is not one to trust.

Check anything about health, money or law with a professional. AI can sound sure and be wrong. AARP’s own research on health tools is titled for the point: older adults trust the doctor in the room, not the AI health tool.

Be cautious with anyone who calls “about your AI account.” This is the scam rule again: hang up, call back.

Ask it to show its work. Say, “How sure are you? What should I verify?”

Part two: the companion robot

The best-known example for older adults is ElliQ, made by Intuition Robotics, a company based in Tel Aviv. It was unveiled at CES in 2017 and has been sold in the U.S. on a subscription model since March 2022.

It’s a small tabletop device you talk to. According to the company’s own site, it offers medication reminders, health and pain tracking, exercise suggestions, sharing photos and messages with family, Bingo and virtual tours, music, news and trivia. The site states it is not a medical device.

What the evidence shows, and doesn’t

New York State’s Office for the Aging has delivered over 800 ElliQ units to older adults at risk of isolation. Its director reported that 95 percent of users said their loneliness decreased over nine months, and that users averaged about 20 or more interactions a day.

Now the honest limits. These figures come from the state’s own reporting. They are self-reported, the article gives no comparison group, and the sample is described only as “several hundred.” The average user was 83, lived alone and had chronic conditions. It doesn’t prove the robot caused the change.

The company says 96 percent report improved health and wellness, 73 percent feel more connected, and 94 percent report better quality of life. Those are company claims with no study details on its site. Treat them as marketing until you see the research.

“Enjoy life more”: what that realistically means

For travel and experiences, AI is already useful today. It plans trips, translates, explains museum labels, and helps you choose.

For a companion robot, the realistic benefit is small nudges: remembering medication, suggesting a walk, helping you send a photo to a granddaughter, sitting next to you through a virtual tour. In New York’s program, experts noted those are different outcomes from becoming less lonely. It also can’t replace a person who brings soup.

The counterargument

A New York researcher at Northwell Health warned that overuse is not healthy, and that for extremely lonely people a non-human companion could harm social life rather than help it. Even ElliQ’s co-founder says it is designed to remind users it’s a robot, “not your friend,” and it isn’t meant for everyone. People with dementia, for example, aren’t considered for the New York program.

That is the strongest argument against buying one. Take it seriously.

My pick: start with the free helper

If you’re curious, start with an AI assistant you already have access to. It’s free or low-cost, you can stop any time, and it teaches you what you like. Consider a companion robot only after that, and only if loneliness or reminders are a real problem. Ask for the total cost, because I could not confirm a consumer price. Ask where your data goes.

What to do this week

1. Open one AI assistant and ask it to plan a one-day outing near you.
2. Ask it to explain something confusing in plain English.
3. Write your own list of three things you will never type into it.
4. If a robot interests you, ask a family member to read the fine print with you.
5. Call one person today. A real one.

Go be bold!