Design and Development of an Interactive AI Toolkit for Engaging Older Adults in AI Discussions

This paper presents the design and development of a low-cost, interactive Artificial Intelligence (AI) toolkit in the form of an animatronic talking' mask. The toolkit aims to democratise AI and make it more accessible, particularly for older adults, by facilitating hands-on engagement with AI technologies and engaging them in meaningful discussions about its opportunities and potential drawbacks. The toolkit is built using customisable features such as replaceable face, jaws and eyes, and modular software features like face tracking, speech recognition, speech-to-text and text-to-speech engines, and large language model (LLM). The customisable design provides a means to explore perceptions, raise awareness and encourage healthy discussions about different facets of AI, especially amongst technologically-challenged populations. It promotes co-design opportunities by leveraging its customisability to allow for adaption of its features to suit the technical abilities and preferences of the audience. Designed with an open-source approach, the project also encourages collaboration among makers and developers, fostering community-driven enhancements and adaptations. This accessibility empowers others to build upon the design, contributing to its evolution as a versatile tool for education and outreach. Evaluation of the platform with 3 distinct user groups highlights its potential to demystify AI technologies and engage diverse audiences in a conversation about the challenges and opportunities they present. This paper concludes with the identification of future opportunities for this research, including the use of co-creation methodologies with end users to extend the work to suit their needs and provide a public engagement framework for understanding emerging technologies.