Manuel López, a 55-year-old from the Canary Islands, is a direct witness to the transformation that artificial intelligence (AI) is generating in homes and the labor market. In 2024, along with his 18-year-old son, he founded an automation company after overcoming several professional failures, including a layoff. The decision to delve into AI arose from his son's insistence, who showed him the potential of a revolutionary tool. Convinced by the results, López decided to train in AI, and today his small business is his main source of income, a achievement he is particularly proud of. The emergence of AI is redefining employment across all ages, although its impact varies by generational group. Tools like ChatGPT or Gemini have slowed down the hiring of young people, but at the same time, they offer new opportunities to those who thought their careers were over. Jasmine Sosa, 48, is an example: after losing her job in hospitality in Las Palmas, she decided to train in AI and big data, allowing her to reinvent herself as a teacher at a training center. Tomás Pereda, deputy director of MásHumano, an organization dedicated to the labor reintegration of people over 50, emphasizes that the experience and judgment of this group are now more valuable than ever. “Before, turning 50 meant becoming invisible in the company, but today AI gives them an extra opportunity,” he states. However, ageism remains an obstacle: Rodrigo Miranda, author of “ReinicIAndo,” points out that half of the resumes from those over 55 are never even reviewed. Spain faces one of the highest senior unemployment rates in Europe, at 11.2% among those over 55, well above countries like France, Germany, or Italy, according to the Ageingnomics research center of the Mapfre Foundation. Pereda underscores that living conditions have changed and that age prejudices no longer make sense. Nevertheless, automation and AI are displacing administrative jobs: a study from the Polytechnic University of Valencia estimates that between 18% and 22% of jobs are already exposed to AI. Elena Ibáñez, founder of Singular Experts, insists that companies must redefine the role of seniors, not only by training them in digital tools but also by leveraging their experience to lead teams and make strategic decisions. “Companies already expect their employees to have basic knowledge of AI,” she warns. López and Sosa are aware of this reality and have invested in their training: López has dedicated over 1,500 euros and 750 hours to AI courses, learning to interact with intelligent systems and develop simple applications. His company has created virtual assistants for hotels and video call platforms. Sosa, for her part, has invested about 200 euros in a dozen courses and considers herself an advanced user of ChatGPT, aiming to learn how to train her own models. Miranda anticipates that the future of work will be one of continuous training: “It is no longer enough to study once and work for a lifetime; constant updating will be the norm,” he asserts. Berta Romero, a 55-year-old lawyer from Barcelona, also found in AI a way to reinvent herself. After leaving her firm, she took a master's in AI and opened a specialized consultancy with a colleague. “Going back to study gives you confidence,” she states. Flor Rodríguez, a 63-year-old Ecuadorian resident in Valencia, highlights how AI has improved her professional performance, allowing her to perform complex tasks in Excel and write emails more efficiently. After a brief training in prompting, she has optimized her work in a construction company and believes that her generation's ability to concentrate is an advantage over younger people. Rafa Aguado, an AI teacher in Madrid, confirms the growing interest of those over 50 in this technology: nearly half of his students are over that age, and according to him, the main driver is the fear of falling behind in a market that prioritizes young talent. “They want to prove that they can adapt too,” he concludes. Source: elpais.com