Voice AI assistant for seniors: what can it help with?

A voice AI assistant is a program you talk to instead of tapping and typing. You say what you need and get answers, reminders and help with everyday tasks. Elsy is an AI companion of this kind, made for older adults: she helps with your day and writes down the stories of your life.

New technology can be a hassle: small keys, menus, and remembering where everything is. 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. A voice AI assistant removes much of that hassle. You talk the way you normally do, and it understands you.

What is a voice AI assistant?

A voice AI assistant is a computer program you talk to. You may already know the voice assistants on your phone, which are good at short commands like setting a kitchen timer. An AI companion like Elsy is built for conversation. You can talk in full sentences, change the subject partway through, and come back to something you talked about yesterday.

Elsy is an app on your phone. You open it, tap Talk to Elsy and start talking. There are no menus in the conversation itself. To learn more about the technology, read what an AI assistant is.

What Elsy can help with

• Reminders. Say "Remind me to call Barbara tomorrow at 11." The reminder arrives as a notification on your phone, and Elsy brings it up when you talk.
• Medicines. Elsy keeps track of your medicines and when to take them, and you can tell her when you've taken them.
• Answers to questions. Elsy can look things up online: when the pharmacy is open, what the weather will be like tomorrow, or what a difficult word means.
• Letters and medicine boxes. Show Elsy a photo of a letter or a medicine box, and she can read it aloud and explain it.
• Your calendar. If you've turned on Sync with calendar, Elsy can tell you what's in the calendar on your phone.
• Messages to your family. Ask Elsy to tell your daughter you're doing well today. If your daughter is in Your circle, Elsy sends her a short message.
• Someone to talk to. Tell her about your day, something you heard on the news, or something from years ago. Elsy listens, asks questions and remembers it for next time.
• Words you teach her. A word from your local dialect, or how a name is pronounced. Elsy remembers it from then on.
• Your life stories. Tell her about your childhood or your working life, and afterward Elsy writes the story down in your own words. You can read it, listen to it and send it to your family.

See more about reminders and daily routines and having someone to talk to, and find more ideas in what you can use an AI assistant for. You can also read about life stories with Elsy.

Why talking is easier than typing

When you use your voice, there are no small keys to hit, no small print to read and no menus to find your way through. Research on how older adults use voice assistants suggests that voice control takes very little technical experience, and that it helps most when the assistant understands everyday, natural language rather than fixed commands. It can also help if your eyesight or your fingers aren't what they used to be.

If you're not sure you'll manage, read about getting started with AI.

Privacy: what happens to what you say?

That's worth asking before you talk with any AI. Here's how it works with Elsy:

• What you say is processed by AI services in the United States, including the voice service ElevenLabs, so that Elsy can hear you, answer and remember. The app shows you which ones before you start.
• Your conversations are recorded and stored securely so Elsy can remember what you tell her.
• Your stored data is hosted in the EU.
• We never sell your personal data, and we don't use it to train general-purpose AI models.

Whichever AI you talk to, follow Age UK's advice and never give it your passwords or your bank account number. Keep other sensitive details, like your Social Security number, out of the conversation too. Read more about how to use an AI assistant safely, or read our privacy policy.

What your family can see

You can invite your family to join Your circle. Each person in your circle has a level, and the level decides what they can see:

• Stories only: the life stories you send them, your name and your photo.
• Safety net: also an alert if a conversation suggests something might be wrong.
• Wellbeing: also how you're doing over time.
• Care partner: also your reminders and medicines, which they can help you with.
• Full trust: also what Elsy remembers about you.

None of the levels gives access to transcripts or recordings of your conversations, but the life stories you send contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice. If you set Elsy up yourself, you choose the level for each person and can change it whenever you like. If a family member set Elsy up and gave consent on your behalf, everyone in your circle is at Full trust.

Elsy is not an emergency service. If you need help right away, call your local emergency number. Read more about what your family can see and about Elsy for families.

How to get started

Download Elsy from the App Store or Google Play, open the app and tap Talk to Elsy. You're welcome to ask someone in your family to help you get started, and after that you can do the rest with your voice. You can try Elsy free for 3 days on your own phone. See how Elsy works step by step.

Frequently asked questions

How does Elsy protect my privacy?

Your conversations are recorded and stored securely, your stored data is hosted in the EU, and we never sell your personal data. So that Elsy can hear you, answer and remember, what you say is processed by AI services in the United States. Your family never sees transcripts or recordings of your conversations. The exception is the life stories you send them, which contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice. Their level in Your circle decides what else they can see.

Can Elsy help with medicine reminders?

Yes. Tell Elsy which medicines you take and when, and you'll get a reminder on your phone when it's time. You can also tell her when you've taken them, so you don't have to wonder later whether you did.

How do family and friends join?

You invite them from Your circle in the app by sending them a link. They start at Stories only, and you can give them a higher level whenever you like. Reading your stories is free for your family.

What do I need to use Elsy?

An iPhone, iPad or Android device with an internet connection. You need to be able to open an app and tap one button, and the rest happens with your voice. Elsy speaks English and 14 other languages.

Can Elsy call me or call for help?

No. Elsy doesn't call you and doesn't start conversations on her own. You talk with her when you open the app, and reminders arrive as notifications on your phone. Elsy isn't an emergency service either, so if you need help right away, call your local emergency number.

This is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, so talk to a doctor about yours.