Apart from finding cure for diseases, AI is now also your buddy who will help you quit smoking. Quitbot is a LLM-based chatbot developed by Fred Hutch Cancer Research Centre with a complimentary mobile application that integrates a scientifically validated smoking cessation program with ChatGPT, providing users with a virtual counsellor at their fingertips.
In the recent The Prompt show by Trevor Noah, behavioural psychologist Jonathan Bricker from University of Washington, explained the need for building such a chatbot to help people quit smoking.
“There are 8 million people in the world who die every single year because of tobacco use,” he explained that nicotine is more addictive than any other drug. Yet, there are not enough medical programmes that help people quit smoking.
The app delivers step-by-step guidance on the quitting process, equips users with tools to manage smoking urges, offers motivational support, and allows users to pose their own questions, serving as a doctor.
Users can interact with the chatbot talking about when they are feeling stressed and what triggers them to smoke, and it will learn about your patterns, and it comes back to you later and reminds you why you are quitting.
Bricker highlights that QuitBot is not just a chatbot to help people quit smoking, but also a tool that can help them break any habit that they are trying to. Serving as a virtual coach, QuitBot collaborates with individuals to establish goals, provide encouragement and assistance as needed, impart coping skills for cravings, and aid in the recovery from setbacks.
With QuitBot, individuals enjoy convenient 24/7 access to cessation support, empowering them to quit smoking with assistance right in the palm of their hands.
