Forget the golf course, older Americans are spending their retirements online

Retired Americans are increasingly spending their retirement years immersed in AI tools, chatbots, and app development, replacing traditional hobbies like golf. Interviews with 15 retirees reveal a trend of digital engagement, with some using AI for health management and companionship, while others acknowledge risks of over-reliance on technology.

Brian Rezendes anticipates his retirement years will be filled with AI agents https://www.businessinsider.com/laid-off-founded-a-business-with-27-ai-agent-employees-2026-5 , algorithms, and APIs — along with the occasional vacation with his wife. Rezendes, a former pool business owner, retired in April from a retail job in rural North Dakota. Like many retirees, the 64-year-old envisioned his post-work years as a time to relax, travel, and stay active. He did not expect to be neck-deep in conversations with chatbots https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-chatbot-privacy-user-names-data-contractors-scale-alignerr-2025-8 , vibe coding websites https://www.businessinsider.com/build-app-no-coding-skills-ai-lovable-replit-claude , or building YouTube channels. Though he'd always been interested in technology, he rarely delved into the deeper plumbing behind it until a few years ago, when he became immersed in AI. Nowadays, he spends almost all of his time building apps… until the real world comes calling. "My wife gets a little bit jealous when I spend too much time on the computer," Rezendes says. Retirement has gone digital. In recent interviews, 15 retired Americans https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-oldest-workers-retirement-80-over-80-2026-1 admitted they and their friends are glued to their screens, perhaps to a fault. Hours they could have spent tidying up the house went toward learning the best AI tools and, as three tech-savvy baby boomers put it, "staying current." Some post-career Americans who moved abroad https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-mexico-retirement-ai-boomers-cost-of-living-aging-2026-4 said tech is all the rage in their beachfront expat communities. Retirement communities have swapped watercoloring for AI education. Starting an AI-powered business https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-inventory-management-small-business-sales-2026-5 replaced the golf course. ChatGPT is the new nurse's assistant. Robots are some older Americans' new best friends. Dee Humphrey is among them. The 73-year-old in Schenectady, New York, has used a companion robot https://www.businessinsider.com/familiar-machines-unveils-ai-robot-for-emotional-support-roomba-2026-5 called ElliQ for over three years. And while she's waiting for a new version to arrive, she's been having "withdrawals because I can't do anything with her." The new reality of retirement isn't all screen addiction. Some of this development has been a boon for older people navigating a new phase of life. In Austin, Edward Perry, 72, said that he used AI after a terminal cancer diagnosis to "help me with living as rich and full a life in what time I have," including managing his health and finding ways to be more present in his family's lives. "As I'm getting older, I have more aches and pains, but with utilizing these new technologies, I'm going to be able to do more and more," Rezendes says. Many others acknowledged the risks of getting too hooked on tech https://www.businessinsider.com/locked-in-tech-founders-swearing-off-dating-silicon-valley-2026-1 . Most knew that relying too heavily on AI meant losing agency and receiving potentially faulty information. Others said being too invested in tech could mean less time staying active https://www.businessinsider.com/longevity-tips-for-staying-healthy-active-aging-work-80s-2025-12 . Some noted that after decades of work, these were their years to relax, but they couldn't bring themselves to close their MacBooks. If Gen Z is the first generation to grow up on the internet, baby boomers are learning how to be the first generation to retire on it. Unexpected and omnipresent For those in retirement, screen time of all types has been increasing. Surveys show that adults 65 and over almost doubled their YouTube consumption https://www.businessinsider.com/older-viewers-fuel-youtube-tv-growth-nielsen-data-2025-3 on TV from 2023 to 2025, and older Americans spend over four hours a day https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/06/18/americans-60-and-older-are-spending-more-time-in-front-of-their-screens-than-a-decade-ago/ in front of screens. Brittne Kakulla, senior research advisor for AARP Research, says the group's Tech Trends survey found smartphone ownership among adults aged 50-plus skyrocketed from 55% in 2016 to 90% in 2025. Perhaps more striking was the number of older people trying out AI. Use nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025, from 18% to 30%, and many more said they are interested in experimenting. Nearly all older tech superusers I spoke to were surprised by the amount the tools had become integrated into their retirements. Jan Friedlander, 81, used online databases in her real estate career https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-real-estate-agents-insurance-carreer-trend-2025-8 , but only became hooked on tech a few years ago after she left her job. As she battled cancer and macular degeneration, she used AI to guide her treatment, and soon found herself relying on it to research clothing, plan vacations, and more. As she became more prompt-savvy, she felt confident enough to start teaching her peers. "I've always had a curiosity about things that would come along that were new," Friedlander says. She also began facilitating AI classes in Denver for those 50 and over with her friend Pat Smith, 73. Smith, who has a more technical background in consulting and pharmaceuticals, says the classes have attracted many "eager retiree students." Smith also sees both sides of the AI boom. On the positive side, she submitted her lab work to ChatGPT after having a reaction to an antibiotic, prompting her to follow up with her doctor and allergist. But she also bemoans the disappearance of human customer service and the online portalization of medical care. To combat the AI creep https://www.businessinsider.com/are-you-an-ai-creeper-take-our-survey-2025-12 , Smith has monitored her tech usage, maintained a regular exercise schedule, and worked on mosaics. "I have friends who are losing their mobility, moving into assisted living, and have gotten terminal diagnoses, and I know that's all around the corner," Smith says. "I'm hoping I get some more time to do what I've been enjoying the last few years." Working with tech While cutting-edge tools https://www.businessinsider.com/elder-care-dementia-cancer-ai-vibe-coding-claude-lovable-cursor-2026-5 have become a retirement fascination for some, many older Americans are unexpectedly working into their later years and, by extension, learning new tech tricks. For my 80 Over 80 https://www.businessinsider.com/80-over-80-watch-video-read-all-stories-2025 series, I spoke with dozens of workers in their 80s, many of whom couldn't afford to retire and now had jobs that required AI. At 72, Marcia Sweet's home is fully synced with robot vacuums and smart lights, and she runs a tech support business in Bradenton, Florida. She can't afford to stop working, as the extra money goes toward financing her eventual long-term care, and she hopes AI can supercharge her business. "I'm still like a little kid with a toy about technology, with the same kind of excitement," Sweet says. "I'm kind of addicted." Other older workers used tech to pivot later in their careers. A decade ago, Laura Noren, now 61, was weary of her career as a registered nurse, so she opted for an unexpected route — IT classes at a local college in Michigan. The learning curve was massive, as most of her 18-year-old classmates grew up steeped in tech. She later supplemented these classes with online courses on programming languages and databases. "I envisioned myself retiring at 60 and no later than 62. My husband and I would be fully retired and never work again, moving into a condo and doing plenty of traveling," Noren says. Instead, "he left his job earlier than planned as a corrections officer, and I was managed out of my company. We had to change our plans." The courses didn't necessarily prepare her for her current job as an Amazon Flex https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-flex-drivers-schedules-arent-so-flexible-report-suggests-2025-7 driver, which gives her the flexibility to care for her "technophobic" 84-year-old mother with memory issues. But her skills have come in handy when teaching her mother how to add phone contacts to favorites or avoid scams, and Noren hopes to find work down the line that better suits her skills. She still hopes to have some version of the retirement she envisioned years ago, but expects tech to play a bigger role. Others who returned to school in their later years said they've integrated age tech into their lives for peace of mind. When Mark Bayer, 63, decided to retire from his community banking career at 60, he thought, "I will never have to sit through another damn Zoom meeting again, and I'll be the happiest person in the world." To his surprise, he began teaching English as a second language over Zoom and reenrolled in college to be "exposed to new ideas from younger minds." Bayer, who lives in Pennsylvania, expected his classmates to debate and brainstorm ideas off the top of their heads, but they all went to ChatGPT instead. Initially, he was dumbfounded. But when he saw the list of ideas for a group discussion, it exceeded what he would've come up with. Ignoring AI https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-schmidt-ignore-ai-risk-irrelevance-workers-jobs-google-ted-2025-5 , he says he realized, "is a way to say I'm done learning anything new, which is self-limiting." There have been downsides: He's noticed that disconnecting from tech has become harder. He admits that if he gets a call while mowing the lawn, he will stop to pick it up. His wife is the same way, sometimes scrolling Instagram for hours without noticing. He hasn't quite erased the idea that face-to-face interaction has some merit, though. A robot-enabled retirement Many new high-tech tools are being built to help older Americans remain healthier and safer in their homes and assisted living communities https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-long-term-care-expenses-assisted-living-bought-house-independence-2026-6 . Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of medical alert devices company LogicMark, tells me that technology in caregiving has become a necessity rather than a luxury, with the potential to predict falls and detect Alzheimer's https://www.businessinsider.com/how-i-discovered-my-husbands-early-onset-alzheimers-2025-12 early. AI is being trained to track behavioral patterns and health outcomes, though it sometimes falls short at triaging calls and often erases the human element, isolating older Americans who need the company most. Some boomers are ready for this Jetsons-like future. Take Michelle Murphy, 64, who is pursuing an MBA with a concentration in AI. A photographer and instructional designer in Michigan, Murphy says her focus in her 60s has been pivoting to a new career— retirement isn't a good fit, she says. Down the line, she isn't opposed to using robotic healthcare workers to avoid assisted care, though she's keen on not becoming overly reliant on tech due to privacy concerns. For now, her goal is to get her coffee pot to start automatically. "If there's an automation that can help me do the things I need to do, mow the grass for me, pick up heavy things, whatever it is, I'm totally on board with that," Murphy says. There is a big market in making the idea of robot-assisted care a reality. Investment in age tech has boomed, particularly in products that make caregiving easier, like smart home automation devices, companion robots, and motion sensors. AARP predicts that by 2030, the age-tech market will be worth $120 billion. And given the rise, many hope age tech can alleviate some of the burden for younger generations. "We've got 63 million family caregivers, 70% of them in paid jobs, and we're very familiar with childcare, but elder care https://www.businessinsider.com/elder-care-cost-options-home-abroad-pay-2026-5 is not well understood," said Diane Ty, managing director of the Milken Institute Future of Aging. "That's what's breaking the backs of so many workers right now." Plenty of people and investors I spoke to also hope AI and other age tech can slow cognitive decline. However, various studies https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/ have shown that AI assistants contribute to reduced cognitive engagement and skill atrophy, meaning in some ways, relying too much on AI works counter to what these super-users may think. 80 is the new 25 As I wrote last year, America's octogenarians https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-over-age-80-embrace-ai-2025-8 have been embracing tech in surprising ways. Frank Engelman, 82, has created apps, runs a YouTube channel, and writes a Substack about tech education. Luis Bautista, 82, told me he was using AI to write a book https://www.businessinsider.com/working-over-80-aging-retirement-startup-ai-no-savings-debt-2025-8 and start a business that he one day wants to pitch to Y Combinator. Phyllis Scalettar, 80, began an AI education and consulting firm. Karen Shapiro, 80, said this month that she uses AI for everything from planning vacations to Italy to managing finances — "tech will make life less confining and more enjoyable as we age," she says. Study after study shows loneliness continues to grow https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2827710 among older Americans https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf . According to AARP, 40% reported feeling lonely last year, up from 35% in 2018. Tech may be partly to blame, as an increasing number of older Americans are addicted to their phones — one survey https://www.addictionresource.net/ found that 40% of the over 2,000 respondents ages 59 to 77 felt discomfort when pulled away from their devices. For a lot of Americans, however, tech is a way to make the most of their golden years and to stay healthy for longer. Marvin Honig, 88, takes AI courses, set up NotebookLM files for his St. Petersburg, Florida, condominium board, and use advanced tech to manage trust accounts for former law clients. Perhaps this could've been expected from an early tech adopter who received tech support from a young Michael Dell. Still, seeing many of his neighbors using all sorts of tech was perhaps not on his bingo card, and many of his interactions now revolve around tech recommendations and support. Like many older techies, the tech wave has also allowed him to luxuriate in the disconnected part of his life, from visiting museums and restaurants to attending in-person community events — he gets there using his Tesla's self-driving feature https://www.businessinsider.com/why-fully-self-driving-cars-are-almost-impossible-2026-3 . Business Insider's Discourse stories provide perspectives on the day's most pressing issues, informed by analysis, reporting, and expertise.