Abstract
BACKGROUND: With the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various areas of life, AI technologies are increasingly being developed for the nursing and care of older people and are intended to contribute to greater safety for older people in need of care and to relieve the burden on caregivers; however, research into the attitudes and practices of older people in need of care towards AI is only just beginning. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to ask which learning processes emerge as older nursing home residents interact with AI technologies and how these can be supported with concepts from geragogy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data consist of 10 guideline-assisted interviews with older nursing home residents aged 83-96 years and records of participant observations (75 h). Data collection took place in summer 2022 and fall 2023 in two nursing homes that use AI-based fall sensors and social robots. The material was analyzed using situation analysis. RESULTS: Nursing home residents showed an active interest in engaging with AI technologies, for example, by trying to relate experiences with AI technologies with experiences from their life course (biography-oriented learning practices) and engaging with AI technologies in everyday life (everyday-oriented learning practices). Residents are therefore interested actors in processes of technology implementation but rarely perceive themselves as competent in the context of AI. CONCLUSION: The article shows the learning practices and potentials of residents and discusses possibilities of a geragogical approach for a differentiated understanding of AI technologies in nursing.