China's silent AI revolution is happening in small towns

How China's elderly are quietly fueling AI adoption beyond big tech hubs—and reshaping the digital divide along the way.

• Elderly users in China’s smaller towns and counties are adopting AI at surprising speed, relying on voice interaction and simple interfaces.

• Social networks, particularly word-of-mouth referrals, significantly drive AI app adoption among seniors.

• Yet this newfound digital inclusion brings increased risks from scams and misinformation targeted specifically at elderly users.

• Apps like Doubao, Kimi, and DeepSeek are becoming household names not through corporate marketing campaigns, but through informal, grassroots networks.

When 30-year-old Ellen’s (alias) nearly-60-year-old father enthusiastically recommended an AI app called “Doubao” to her, she froze in confusion. While Ellen—a self-described “tech insider”—had closely followed AI trends like DeepSeek and large language models (LLMs), she had never imagined her father would beat her to actual adoption.

This is no isolated case. In smaller cities and towns across China, middle-aged and older adults—typically ignored by high-tech narratives—have become AI’s surprise early adopters.

And they’re not just asking AI simple questions. They’re using it as fortune-tellers, recipe books, personal tour guides, and even weather forecasters.

When AI becomes your parents' new best friend

In urban tech circles, AI often means coding, productivity boosts, or perhaps generating flashy presentations. In China's county towns, however, it means something entirely different.

Apps like Doubao, Kimi, and DeepSeek are becoming household names not through corporate marketing campaigns, but through informal, grassroots networks.

Seniors often hear about these apps through neighbors, colleagues, or family members—trusted human networks that quickly amplify adoption.

A retiree named Wang learned about Kimi through fellow teachers. “My dad now uses AI to write his lesson plans and even calculate his years of service,” his son explains, amused. “He combines answers from two different AI apps to get the best results.”

The simplicity of these apps—primarily a straightforward, clutter-free interface with a single search box and voice input—is key.

Older users often struggle with complicated, ad-heavy platforms like traditional search engines and social media apps. But AI apps are different. They eliminate the endless notifications, misleading pop-ups, and complicated navigation that frustrate older generations.

“My mom disliked apps with ads or pop-ups because she'd accidentally click them,” said another user interviewed. “But with AI, there's no learning curve. She can just speak and get an answer.”

From astrology to cooking: what seniors really ask AI

Young people may use AI to optimize work or create digital art, but seniors ask it practical, everyday questions. "Doubao, what’s today's temperature?" "Doubao, how do I cook radish cake?" Or even, "Doubao, tell me my child’s future and marriage prospects."