A few months ago, a young Black gay patient in a southern state tapped out a message on his phone that he might not have been comfortable raising in-person at his local sexual health clinic. “I’m struggling with my relationship with sex,” he wrote, knowing there’d be an immediate response, and no judgment. “I feel like sometimes it’s an impulse action and I end up doing sexual things that I don’t really want to do.”
“Oh, honey,” came a swift response, capped with a pink heart and a sparkle emoji. “You’re not alone in feeling this way, and it takes courage to speak up about it.” After directing him to a professional, it added, “while I’m here to strut the runway of health information and support, I’m not equipped to deep dive into the emotional oceans.”
That’s among thousands of delicate issues patients have shared confidentially with an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit offering sexual health and HIV care at clinics in 15 states. The tool can dispense educational information about sexually-transmitted infections, or STIs in real time, but is also designed to manage appointments, deliver test results and support patients, especially those vulnerable to infections like HIV but who are historically underserved. And as part of a provocative new patient engagement strategy, the foundation chose to deliver those services with the voice of a drag queen.
