Abstract
As we age, our relationship with our personal archive evolves as we experience cognitive shifts. This is even more so if we experience a reality that is shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is increasingly managing personal information through automated curation and personalized AI software interactions tailored to users (Hayes & Downie, 2024), sometimes completely unbeknownst to users. Meanwhile, AI-driven automated curation is also helping older adults manage their archives, influencing their ability to maintain agency over their life documentation practices. Older adults use a variety of health-monitoring technologies, such as the Apple Watch, the Samsung Smartwatch, and the Fitbit. These devices incorporate AI systems that analyze physiological patterns to predict potential health risks. These technologies are prompting individuals to have less direct control over their health records and their validity, making older adults one of the most vulnerable and exposed populations due to the intergenerational digital divide and declining digital dexterity. This also raises the issue of digital ageism in AI Systems (Loveys et al., 2022), where AI models are trained on biased datasets to reinforce stereotypes about aging, affecting how older adults' personal information is kept and presented.
This paper examines AI-assisted personal archiving as a documentation practice in the context of aging, with the primary research question being whether AI enhances or diminishes control over documenting personal narratives. Drawing on prior research on mediated memory (Reyes et, al; 2024) and personal information management (PIM) (Narayan, et al., 2024), this study considers how AI reshapes the archival experience for older individuals and the implications for memory, identity, and autonomy, using an exploratory qualitative approach to discuss how personal documentation practices are disrupted by AI as we age.
Recommended Citation
Reyes, Vanessa
(2025)
"A Qualitative Exploration of Personal Archiving at the Crossroads of AI, Aging, and Documentation,"
Proceedings from the Document Academy: Vol. 12
:
Iss.
2
, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35492/docam/12/2/6
Available at:
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/docam/vol12/iss2/5
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.35492/docam/12/2/6