Age-Friendly AI and Vodafone Ireland Foundation Collaborate to Provide Access to Online AI Literacy Training
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Age-Friendly AI is Ireland’s national AI literacy initiative, led by researchers at TU Dublin and the ADAPT Centre at Dublin City University (DCU). The initiative and the Vodafone Ireland Foundation’s Hi Digital programme have announced a new partnership to expand access to AI literacy training for older adults across Ireland.
The partnership was announced during two Age-Friendly AI workshops delivered in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College’s Age-Friendly Campus in Limerick as part of its Positive Ageing Week programme.
Since launching in 2025, Age-Friendly AI has directly engaged with more than 9,600 people, with participants’ experiences and feedback helping to shape the programme. The initiative is now expanding its reach nationwide, with AI literacy workshops taking place throughout 2026 in community settings, including public libraries.
Through the partnership, Age-Friendly AI and Vodafone Foundation in Ireland are collaborating to integrate Age-Friendly AI's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshop and training materials into the Hi Digital free online course at hidigital.ie, ensuring that these evidence-based, co-created resources will be available to a wider audience online. Developed through a series of co-creation sessions with older adults, the resources have been designed from the ground up to be accessible, relevant and meaningful to older people.
The collaboration also facilitates analysis of the insights and feedback gathered through the initiative. This includes transcripts and survey responses from hundreds of older adults which will be used to compile an expert report with actionable insights that will inform future AI literacy content development and contribute to national policy conversations. Preliminary findings will be shared at the Age-Friendly AI Assembly taking place at the Salthill Hotel in Galway on 17th November 2026.
"Older adults have been at the heart of everything we do from the very first co-creation sessions through to the national rollout. This partnership with the Vodafone Foundation’s Hi Digital initiative means that the knowledge and insights we have co-created with older adults across Ireland will reach further and have continued impact."
Dr Emma Clarke and Paula Kelly, Age-Friendly AI Co-Leads
“We’re delighted to partner with Age-Friendly AI to make practical, accessible AI learning available to more older people across Ireland. By bringing these trusted resources to the Hi Digital platform, we hope to help people feel more confident, informed and included as technology continues to evolve.”
Liz Roche, Head of Foundation and Sustainability, Vodafone Ireland
Age-Friendly AI and Vodafone Ireland Foundation share a commitment to inclusive, accessible digital education. This partnership ensures that older adults across Ireland are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to engage with AI safely and on their own terms.
The Age-Friendly AI co-creation and national rollout is funded under the Research Ireland Discover Programme.