Since the beginning of this year, the silver economy has continued to make efforts and has become a new growth point that drives consumption. The silver economy covers the food, clothing, housing, use and transportation of the elderly, and involves many fields such as medical care, elderly care, and tourism. As a comprehensive industrial system integrating the first, second and third industries, the silver economy has huge potential for development.

At present, many provinces and regions are rushing to lay out new tracks of silver-hailing economy and making every effort to promote the transformation of silver-hailing economy toward smart and digitalization. New technologies, new products and new models such as intelligent nursing robots, home service robots, wearable equipment, and automatic stair climbing machines are accelerating the entry into ordinary families, greatly improving the accessibility of elderly care services. Intelligent and digital empowering the elderly care industry can effectively promote the innovation and upgrading of elderly care products and service formats and improve the quality of elderly care services. In the future, the elderly will have more and more demand for digital and intelligent elderly care products.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other relevant departments have successively issued a series of policy documents to guide and encourage the use of digital technology to promote aging-friendly transformation. Up to now, more than 3,000 websites and APPs have completed aging-friendly and barrier-free transformation, helping the elderly to cross the digital divide and enjoy "digital and intelligent life". In 2024, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Enhancement of the Welfare of the Elderly", which systematically deployed the work of creating new smart and healthy elderly care formats and promoting aging-friendly transformation. Against the backdrop of deepening aging and improving people's requirements for quality of life, the application scenarios of smart and digital silver economics are expected to be continuously explored, and the quality and efficiency of services need to be further improved.

At present, some elderly people still face difficulties such as difficulty in getting started and learning when using smart and digital products and services. On the one hand, technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data effectively help the development of the silver economy, and on the other hand, they also bring new challenges to the data security and personal privacy protection of the elderly. In addition, the silver hair market also has illegal and irregular behaviors such as false propaganda and price fraud, which seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly.

Comprehensive measures should be implemented in response to the above issues. Improve the policy system and increase support for the intelligent and digital development of the silver economy. With the help of big data and other technologies, we will explore social resources, guide and support universities, research institutes, enterprises, etc. to participate in the development of silver industry projects, and vigorously support product and service innovation. Improve the rules system for user data security, personal privacy protection, etc. Continue to promote platform construction and data sharing, strengthen data element support, and achieve accurate connection between the supply of elderly care products and services and the needs of the elderly. We must also strengthen the brand building of silver hair products, guide enterprises to deepen their efforts in the silver hair economic segment, and cultivate high-end silver hair domestic brands targeting the elderly. In addition, with the help of new generation information technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, we will implement all-round and multi-angle dynamic supervision, effectively manage market chaos such as false propaganda, and maintain good market operation order. (Li Yanzhen)

[Editor in charge: Zhao Qiuyue]