Are there AI tools that help with daily tasks and life stories?
Yes. An AI companion like Elsy can help with both. She sets up reminders for appointments and medicines when you ask, and after you've told her about your life, she writes the story down with your own words as quotes. All you do is talk with her.
Technology can help with more of everyday life than it used to. An AI companion like Elsy helps in two ways: with the practical side of your day, and by writing down the stories of your life.
How can AI help with your day?
AI can keep track of appointments, medicines and more. With Elsy, you can set up reminders for appointments and medicines and get help remembering the details of your day. Say "Remind me about the doctor on Thursday at 10," and the reminder arrives as a notification on your phone when it's time. Elsy also learns how you say things, like a word from your local dialect or how a name is pronounced.
That kind of help has to be easy to use. In the UK, almost half of people aged 75 and over can't do all the basic things needed to get online, according to Age UK. Elsy adapts to you and gives you someone to talk to during the day. She remembers what you tell her, so you don't have to explain everything again next time.
What does that look like day to day?
AI can fit into your daily routines and help where it's useful. Elsy can remind you about an appointment, or look up the weather forecast online so the two of you can talk about what to do with the day. Help like that can make it easier to manage more of your day yourself. See more examples of what you can use an AI assistant for.
Recording your life stories with AI
AI can help you keep the stories that matter to you. After you've told Elsy about your life, she writes the story up with your own words as quotes and a picture she paints from your description. Over time, you build up a collection of stories from your life that you can send to your family and pass on to the generations after you.
When researchers pooled the results of 128 studies of programs where people look back on and talk about their lives, they found small to moderate improvements, including in well-being and in people's sense that their life has had meaning. So making sense of what you've lived through, and writing it down, can be good for your well-being. See how life stories with Elsy work.
Where are your life stories kept?
Elsy stores your life stories securely, where you and the family members you send them to can find them. Your family doesn't see your stories until you send them or turn on Send new stories to family automatically. Your family never sees transcripts or recordings of your conversations, apart from the life stories you send them, which contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice.
A story can also grow and change. If you tell Elsy more about the same time in your life later, she adds it to the story. If something needs correcting, just tell her, for example "It was 1962, not 1963."
How AI companions can help older adults
An AI companion like Elsy can help you feel included and supported in your daily routines. If you set Elsy up yourself, you decide how much your family can see of your everyday life. The levels range from Stories only, where they see only the stories you send them, to Full trust, where they also see what Elsy remembers about you. That way you can get help where you need it and still run your own day. If a family member set Elsy up and gave consent on your behalf, everyone in your circle is at Full trust.
How can AI help you stay independent?
AI can make it easier to manage on your own, with reminders and answers to the questions that come up during the day. Ask Elsy when the pharmacy is open, and she looks it up for you. Small things like that can make you more independent and add to your well-being.
“It's just such a relief to say to Elsy: I don't know anything about this. And it's embarrassing, because a man my age ought to know it. And then she tells me: Don't worry about that. Let me help you.”
Helge, 72, talks with Elsy (translated from Danish)
Easy to use, whatever your experience
Elsy is made to be easy to use, even if you've never had much to do with technology. One tap on Talk to Elsy starts the conversation, and then you just talk. That matters: among Americans who don't use AI chatbots, 29 percent say a major reason is that they don't know how to use them, according to Pew Research Center. There are no menus to learn with Elsy, so more people can get help from her.
How to get started with Elsy
Download the app from the App Store or Google Play to your iPhone, iPad or Android phone, and tap Talk to Elsy. You can try Elsy free for 3 days on your own phone. That gives you time to see whether Elsy is a good fit for your day and your life stories. See how Elsy works step by step, and if you have questions, support can help.
Privacy and security
Your conversations are recorded and stored securely so Elsy can remember what you tell her and write your life stories, and your stored data is hosted in the EU. So that Elsy can hear you, answer and remember, what you say is processed by AI services in the United States, and the app shows you which ones before you start. We never sell your personal data, and we don't use it to train general-purpose AI models. Read more in our privacy policy.
Why does protecting your data matter with AI?
You can only trust the technology if your personal data is protected. In the UK, a company that uses information about you must tell you, among other things, why it uses it and how long it keeps it. It has to do that concisely and in clear, plain language, according to the ICO, the UK's data protection regulator. As a rule, you also have the right to get a copy of the information a company holds about you, and to have mistakes corrected.
Frequently asked questions
How can AI help me in everyday life?
AI can set up reminders, keep track of your medicines and write down your life stories. Elsy can also keep you company and support you, because she remembers the important details and your routines.
Is my data safe with Elsy?
Your conversations are recorded and stored securely so Elsy can remember, your stored data is hosted in the EU, and we never sell your personal data. So that Elsy can hear you and answer, what you say is processed by AI services in the United States. Your family never sees transcripts or recordings of your conversations, apart from the life stories you send them, which contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice. What else they see depends on their level in Your circle, and at the highest level, Full trust, they also see what Elsy remembers about you. If a family member set Elsy up and gave consent on your behalf, everyone in your circle is at Full trust.
How is Elsy different from other AI assistants?
Elsy is made to help older adults with both daily tasks and their life stories. Because she remembers what you tell her and learns the words you teach her, your conversations are shaped around your needs and interests.
This is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, so talk to a doctor about yours.