About this event

Growing Old in a Society That Rewards Youth

Growing old is a universal human experience, yet societies do not value every stage of life equally. Youth is often associated with beauty, energy, adaptability, learning, and future potential. Age, by contrast, is frequently connected with decline, dependence, and reduced possibilities.
Young people are usually judged by what they may become. Their mistakes are seen as part of development, and their uncertainty is interpreted as potential. Older people are more often judged by what they can still do, how productive they remain, and how well they adapt to change.
This is especially visible in the workplace.
Experience has traditionally been valuable because it represents knowledge, practical judgment, and lessons accumulated over many years. Artificial intelligence may change this relationship. When AI can provide information, analysis, recommendations, and expert-like answers within seconds, some forms of professional experience may become less rare and therefore less economically valuable.
This raises a difficult problem for older workers. Their remaining working years may already be viewed as limited, while the knowledge they have accumulated over decades may increasingly be reproduced or replaced by AI systems. AI may not eliminate the value of experience, but it can change which forms of experience society rewards.
Information and routine expertise may lose value, while human judgment, responsibility, emotional understanding, creativity, and experience with complex social situations may become more important.
Aging also challenges our ideas about independence and dignity. Modern societies often treat self-sufficiency as a condition of a successful life. When older people need support, they may fear losing control or becoming a burden. Yet needing help does not remove a person’s identity, dignity, memories, relationships, or ability to make meaningful decisions.
This Meetup explores how youth, productivity, independence, experience, and artificial intelligence shape our understanding of human value.
We will discuss:

• Why does society associate youth with greater potential and value?
• Does a person lose social recognition when they become less productive or independent?
• Can AI reduce the professional and economic value of experience accumulated over many years?
• Which forms of human experience, judgment, and understanding cannot be replaced by AI?
• How should we define human value when youth, productivity, independence, and expertise are no longer guaranteed?

📅 Event Details
🗓️ Date: Saturday, 25July 2026
⏰ Time: 14:00
📍 Location: Hardenbergstraße 10, 10623 Berlin
📱 WhatsApp: For preparation materials, updates, and directions, join the group chat.
Group Chat Bio KI