ASEM forum calls for age-inclusive AI

Experts at an international forum in Seoul said older people should be treated as rights-holders and active participants in AI development and use rather than passive beneficiaries. The forum warned that AI can improve independent living and access to services but can also deepen age discrimination, digital exclusion, privacy risks and limits on autonomy. Speakers said Korea’s rapid ageing and advanced digital infrastructure create an opportunity to test age-inclusive AI policies. The ASEM Global Ageing Center said it will expand policy exchange and build practical foundations for an age-inclusive AI transition.

The forum was co-hosted by the ASEM Global Ageing Center, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the Korea office of Germany’s Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

Zvezdan Pirtosek said AI is already changing health care, communication, employment, banking, public services and access to information.

Justyna Stypinska presented research on AI ageism and said older people are often underrepresented in AI policy documents and portrayed mainly as people needing assistance.

Participants said success should be judged by whether age-inclusive AI improves autonomy, participation and quality of life while reducing social inequality.

The ASEM Global Ageing Center said it would expand exchanges with ASEM members, human rights institutions, governments, international organizations and private companies.

Published Sep 5, 2026 7:00 am KST

Experts warn of risks of age bias, digital exclusion, loss of autonomy

Participants in the 6th ASEM Forum on the Human Rights of Older Persons: Present and Future pose during the event in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of ASEM Global Ageing Center

Older people should be treated as rights-holders and active participants in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), rather than passive beneficiaries of technology or care, experts said at an international forum in Seoul on Wednesday.

The forum, co-hosted by the ASEM Global Ageing Center, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the Korea office of Germany’s Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, brought together experts from international organizations, academia, civil society and government to discuss the opportunities and risks AI presents for ageing societies.

Speakers said AI can help older people live independently, maintain social connections and access information and services but warned that the rapid spread of automated AI systems could also intensify age-based discrimination, digital exclusion, privacy risks and threats to individual autonomy.

“AI is already changing health care and care, communication, employment, banking, public services and access to information,” Zvezdan Pirtosek, the U.N. Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons, said in his keynote speech. “The task before us is to make sure that technological progress strengthens human rights rather than quietly narrowing them.”

AI tools can support early diagnosis, health monitoring and independent living, particularly as Korea and many other ageing societies face shortages of care workers, said Pirtosek, who is also a professor of neurology at the University of Ljubljana.

But he warned that AI systems designed to help older people could also limit their freedom when automated decisions are difficult to understand or challenge.

At the forum, Justyna Stypinska, a professor at the Berlin Social Science Center, presented research on “AI ageism,” referring to age-related bias that can be embedded in training data, algorithms, technology design, policy discourse and the exclusion of older people from the development of AI systems.

Her study found that older people received relatively little attention in AI policy documents and were often portrayed as people needing assistance, rather than as decision-makers or empowered users. She also found that generative AI tends to produce more homogeneous images of older adults, with generated images more frequently depicting them as white and male.

Speakers discuss the human rights implications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for older persons during the 6th ASEF Forum in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of ASEM Global Ageing Center

Participants agreed that the success of age-inclusive AI should not be measured simply by the spread of technology. Instead, they said, it should be judged by whether it improves older people’s autonomy, participation and quality of life while reducing social inequality.

They also said Korea’s rapid population ageing and advanced digital infrastructure give it a distinct opportunity to develop and test policies for age-inclusive AI. As a society that has moved quickly to adopt technologies and entered superaged status, the nation could offer lessons on how to use AI to support older people without deepening exclusion or inequality, they added.

The ASEM Global Ageing Center said it would build on the forum’s discussions by expanding the exchange of policies and ideas among ASEM members, in cooperation with human rights institutions, governments, international organizations and the private companies. The center said the goal was to establish practical foundations and policy principles for an age-inclusive AI transition.

在首尔举行的国际论坛上，专家们表示，老年人应被视为人工智能开发和应用的权利持有者和积极参与者，而非被动的受益者。论坛警告称，人工智能可以改善老年人的独立生活能力和获取服务的途径，但也可能加剧年龄歧视、数字鸿沟、隐私风险以及自主权受限。发言者指出，韩国人口快速老龄化和先进的数字基础设施为测试包容老年人的人工智能政策提供了契机。亚欧会议全球老龄化中心表示，将扩大政策交流，并为包容老年人的人工智能转型奠定切实基础。

本次论坛由亚欧会议全球老龄化中心、韩国国家人权委员会和德国弗里德里希·瑙曼自由基金会韩国办事处联合主办。

Zvezdan Pirtosek 表示，人工智能已经改变了医疗保健、通信、就业、银行、公共服务和信息获取。

Justyna Stypinska 展示了有关人工智能年龄歧视的研究，并表示老年人在人工智能政策文件中经常被忽视，主要被描绘成需要帮助的人。

参与者表示，衡量人工智能是否成功的标准应该是：包容各个年龄段的人工智能能否提高自主性、参与度和生活质量，同时减少社会不平等。

亚欧会议全球老龄化中心表示，将扩大与亚欧会议成员、人权机构、各国政府、国际组织和私营企业的交流。

发布于2026年9月5日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

专家警告称，存在年龄歧视、数字排斥和丧失自主权的风险。

周三，在首尔举行的第六届亚欧会议老年人人权论坛（主题：现状与未来）上，与会者合影留念。图片由亚欧会议全球老龄化中心提供。

专家们周三在首尔举行的国际论坛上表示，老年人应该被视为人工智能 (AI) 开发和使用中的权利持有者和积极参与者，而不是技术或护理的被动受益者。

本次论坛由亚欧会议全球老龄化中心、韩国国家人权委员会和德国弗里德里希·瑙曼自由基金会韩国办事处联合主办，汇聚了来自国际组织、学术界、民间社会和政府的专家，共同探讨人工智能给老龄化社会带来的机遇和风险。

发言者表示，人工智能可以帮助老年人独立生活、维持社交联系并获取信息和服务，但警告说，自动化人工智能系统的快速普及也可能加剧基于年龄的歧视、数字排斥、隐私风险和对个人自主权的威胁。

联合国老年人享有所有人权问题独立专家兹韦兹丹·皮尔托塞克在主旨演讲中表示：“人工智能已经改变了医疗保健、沟通、就业、银行、公共服务和信息获取等领域。我们面临的任务是确保技术进步能够加强人权，而不是悄然削弱人权。”

卢布尔雅那大学神经病学教授皮尔托塞克表示，人工智能工具可以帮助早期诊断、健康监测和独立生活，尤其是在韩国和许多其他老龄化社会面临护理人员短缺的情况下。

但他警告说，旨在帮助老年人的AI系统也可能限制他们的自由，因为自动化决策难以理解或质疑。

在论坛上，柏林社会科学中心的教授尤斯蒂娜·斯蒂平斯卡发表了关于“人工智能年龄歧视”的研究，她指的是可能嵌入在训练数据、算法、技术设计、政策话语中的与年龄相关的偏见，以及将老年人排除在人工智能系统开发之外。

她的研究发现，老年人在人工智能政策文件中受到的关注相对较少，他们通常被描绘成需要帮助的人，而不是决策者或有能力的用户。她还发现，生成式人工智能往往会生成更为同质化的老年人形象，生成的图像更常将老年人描绘成白人男性。

周三，在首尔举行的第六届亚欧论坛上，与会者探讨了人工智能和新兴技术对老年人人权的影响。图片由亚欧会议全球老龄化中心提供。

与会者一致认为，衡量包容老年人的人工智能是否成功，不应仅仅以技术的普及程度来衡量。他们认为，评判的标准应该是这项技术是否能够提高老年人的自主性、参与度和生活质量，同时减少社会不平等。

他们还表示，韩国人口快速老龄化和先进的数字基础设施为其制定和测试包容老年人的AI政策提供了独特的机遇。他们补充说，作为一个快速采用新技术并已进入超老龄化社会的国家，韩国可以为如何在不加剧排斥或不平等的情况下利用AI支持老年人提供借鉴。

亚欧全球老龄化中心表示，将以论坛讨论为基础，与人权机构、各国政府、国际组织和私营企业合作，扩大亚欧成员之间的政策和理念交流。该中心称，其目标是为包容老年人的人工智能转型奠定切实可行的基础和政策原则。