Older adults are increasingly involved in research on ageing and artificial intelligence (AI), yet they are seldom present in the public discussions that shape how these technologies are interpreted, regulated, and applied. This gap raises questions about how credibility is assigned and whose perspectives are recognised in conversations about AI. This presentation draws on an 18-month Participatory Action Research study with members of a University of the Third Age (U3A) community (aged 63–78). Participants developed confidence and capability through ongoing interaction with AI tools, working collectively to question, test, and interpret outputs. Learning was largely situated in these exchanges. They were exploratory, sometimes unresolved, and central to how participants made sense of the technology. The findings point to a mismatch between practice and public discourse. Older adults demonstrate an ability to engage critically with AI through dialogue, while the forums in which AI is publicly framed tend to favour more formal and consolidated forms of expertise. As a result, these forms of engagement have limited visibility in wider debates. The presentation considers what might follow from taking those conversational practices more seriously beyond the research setting. It outlines the characteristics of a public forum that could support ongoing exchange among older adults, researchers, practitioners, and policy actors. A podcast is discussed as one possible format among others, used here to illustrate how such a forum might operate in practice. Attendees will gain a framework for extending participatory research into public dialogue and options for contributing to its development.