Do you need help with your technology? Here’s a reminder about our “Appy Hour” support, plus information about a new source of help from supervised young people that is coming to Forest Hill Chase.
If you find Artificial Intelligence (AI) useful, there’s a reminder about your privacy from an article in the Australian Financial Review to round off this item.
“Appy Hour” tech help
“Appy Hour” is an opportunity for you to get one-on-one help for problems with your technology. To make sure everyone has a fair chance to get help, you can only book one session at a time. Sorry – it’s not intended as ongoing one-on-one classes.
Book at Reception for your half-hour slot. Make sure the volunteer for that slot has skills with the type of technology you need help with. Remember to meet your “Appy Hour” volunteer at your booked time – they will be in the Library area.
Tech help from Youngster.co
HomeCaring is launching free tech help sessions at Forest Hill Chase, every second Thursday from 10 am to 12 pm in The Think Lounge on Level 3. The official launch is on Thursday 8 October.
Youngster.co matches local young people with older Australians for one-on-one intergenerational tech help sessions, whether that’s video calls with family, telehealth, MyGov or sharing photos. Older Australians gain independence, connection and the chance to pass down life advice. Young people gain paid work, employability skills and pathways into future employment. It tackles isolation in both generations.
Members can book a free session or simply walk in on the day. All the Youngsters are vetted, police-checked and experienced in working with older Australians. There is also the opportunity to arrange a series of sessions. See the poster here for more information
Artificial Intelligence and financial privacy
There are risks of using AI for financial matters:
- AI provides convincing answers even when “hallucinating” inaccuracies. You often have no way of knowing when it is wrong – and neither does the model.
- If you fail to mention a critical detail, the system rarely prompts you for it, leaving dangerous blind spots in its advice.
- You are handing your most personal information to foreign corporations without knowing who accesses it, how long it is stored, or whether it trains future models.
- If a dominant AI provider goes bankrupt or gets acquired, your uploaded financial history could potentially be sold to anyone.
How to use AI for your finances – safely
If you give AI everything, you may get tailored financial insights – but you forfeit your privacy. If you value privacy and cybersecurity, you must treat AI with caution.
You can still leverage AI for financial tasks without exposing your personal information by following a few simple ground rules:
- Write out numbers or scenarios manually rather than uploading raw PDF statements, tax returns, or records of advice.
- Remove your name, date of birth, account numbers, address, and lender details. An AI can analyse a $1 million mortgage scenario just as effectively without knowing who or where you are.
- Opt out of data sharing and disable model training within your account settings.
Excerpt from the article ” Why your financial life doesn’t belong in ChatGPT” by Tim Mackay, in the Australian Financial Review, September 25, 2026.