Generative AI Compensates for Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Decision Making: Preference-Aligned Recommendations Reduce Choice Difficulty

Due to age-related declines in memory, processing speed, working memory, and executive functions, older adults experience difficulties in decision making when situations require novel choices, probabilistic judgments, rapid responses, or extensive information search. This study examined whether using generative AI during decision making enhances choice satisfaction and reduces choice difficulty among older adults. A total of 130 participants (younger: 56; older: 74) completed a music-selection task under AI-use and AI-nonuse conditions across two contexts: previously experienced (road trip) and not previously experienced (space travel). In the AI-nonuse condition, participants generated candidate options from memory; in the AI-use condition, GPT-4o presented options tailored to individual preferences. To assess cognitive function, we also administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition. Results revealed that in the AI-nonuse condition, older adults with lower cognitive function reported higher choice difficulty and lower choice satisfaction. Under the AI-use condition, choice satisfaction did not change significantly, but perceived choice difficulty decreased significantly in both age groups. Moreover, AI use attenuated the associations observed among older adults between lower cognitive function and both greater difficulty and lower satisfaction. These findings indicate that preference-aligned option recommendations generated by AI can compensate for age-related constraints on information search, thereby reducing perceived choice difficulty without diminishing satisfaction.