Abstract
As the population of older adults continues to grow, there is increasing need to explore how technology-enhanced recreation can support well-being. While Generative AI (GenAI) shows promise in this area, its role in recreational activities for older adults remains underexplored. We report on a two-year engagement with a suburban Japanese aging community aimed at identifying design considerations for image-based GenAI-supported recreational activities. Through four workshops conducted using a Research-through-Design approach—individual prompting, collective prompting, prompt guessing, and curating prompts—we examined how different forms of participation shaped engagement with GenAI. Our findings suggest that although older adults show clear interest in image-based GenAI, it becomes more meaningful when embedded in culturally recognizable practices and socially mediated infrastructures, rather than framed primarily as an individual creativity or literacy tool. Based on these insights, we discuss implications for integrating GenAI into meaningful community-based recreational activities for older adults.
