What drives us
Founded in 2024, Elder-Joy in AI is on a mission to empower seniors with technology education that supports aging in place. Driven by our passion for bridging the digital divide, we embarked on a journey to make AI accessible to all.
Our values
Our program addresses the long-standing need for senior tech coaching, recognizing the potential of AI to enhance efficiency and reduce costs for a sustainable process. We believe in AI democracy—ensuring inclusivity across all demographics, particularly the older generation. By empowering more seniors to engage with AI in their daily lives, we can uncover their unique needs and develop tailored applications to meet them.
We see AI literacy for seniors as a dual opportunity: not only does it enable seniors to participate actively, but it also equips coaches and caregivers with the tools to better support them. Guided by this vision, we have developed a unique human-AI collaboration approach to facilitate both coaches and learners during in-person sessions, fostering a dynamic and supportive learning environment.
Approach
Our journey began with extensive interviews across New Jersey, exploring both the shared and unique technology needs of seniors in various communities. To deepen our insights, we actively participated in tech coaching volunteer work, gaining firsthand experience of the coaching process. Through the I-Corps program, we showcased our idea and validated key hypotheses, ensuring our approach addressed real-world challenges. Leveraging cutting-edge research in human-computer interaction (HCI), we refined our solution to meet the needs of both seniors and tech coaching providers. Our program is designed to tackle issues like high staff turnover and limited training budgets while fostering an inclusive and engaging learning experience for seniors.
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Human-centric approach
We prioritize people and in-person interactions above all. Our approach ensures that technology strengthens connection rather than creating isolation.
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Innovative integration of AI
By leveraging AI with a deep understanding of coaching needs, we unlock its potential to improve efficiency and create a scalable, inclusive solution.
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Institutional support and collaboration
Based at NJIT, we ensure the resources and personnel required for continuous operation. Our efforts have been recognized by local senior centers.
Behind the Scenes
Leadership team
Weiming He
Founder & Technical Lead
Lei Hao
Co-Founder