A health and lifestyle report from VOA Learning English.
Becky Litvinchuk never thought she’d be able to handle the amount of work it takes to start her own business. She has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which affects every aspect of her life and impairs her ability to focus on one thing at a time.
So two years ago, she turned to artificial intelligence (AI). She uses an app called Claude to help her determine which contracts are best for her cleaning wipes business, GetDirty. The app means she doesn’t have to read each contract verbatim. She also created a business plan by telling a generative AI bot her goals. The bot then created steps for her to achieve them.
“AI has been extremely helpful. Without it, I wouldn’t be here today,” Litvinchuk said of his use of AI.
People with ADHD have difficulty focusing, organizing, and controlling their impulses, and experts say generative AI tools could help them complete tasks faster.
But they also caution that such tools shouldn’t replace traditional treatments for ADHD. Some experts are also concerned about the possibility of overusing AI. They also worry about privacy risks.
Will apps replace ADHD treatment?
John Mitchell, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University in North Carolina, said AI apps should be used as “one tool in the toolbox” and not replace traditional treatments like organizational training or medication.
He likened using AI to help with ADHD to swimming and surviving underwater: “If you’re wading around underwater at work and AI is your life jacket, it’s great to stay on the surface,” but, he added, “you still don’t know how to swim.”
What else can I do with the app?
Ms. Litvinchuk, a married mother of four who lives in New York City, dropped out of high school and quit her job — things that research says are common for people with ADHD.
In addition to helping with her business, she also uses ChatGPT for grocery shopping, which can be a difficult task for someone with ADHD because it requires organizational skills.
After teaching her method to another mom with ADHD, she felt like more people needed to know about it, so she started making videos on TikTok about the AI tools she was using to help combat ADHD.
Generative AI tools can help people with ADHD break down large tasks into smaller, more actionable steps, chatbots can offer advice on specific things and make it feel like you’re talking to a real person, and some AI apps can even help with reminders and productivity.
Software engineer Bram de Buyser says he built Goblin.tools with his friends who have neurodevelopmental disorders in mind. The tool’s most popular feature is “Magic To-Do,” where users input a task and the bot creates a to-do list for them. It can also split larger items on the list into smaller tasks.
“We’re not trying to create a cure,” De Beizer says, “but something that will help them get two minutes of their day that they would otherwise struggle with.”
What problems can the app cause?
Russell Fulmer is a professor at Husson University in northeastern Maine. He called the research on AI and ADHD “inconclusive” — in other words, the results of its usefulness are not yet known.
Experts say AI can have a positive impact on the lives of people with anxiety and ADHD. But Fulmer said such tools don’t work for everyone, including people of color who have ADHD. Fulmer noted that there have been cases where chatbot responses have been racist and unfair to certain groups of people.
Valery Jones is a publicist and founder of Sincerely Nicole Media. She was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. She uses AI bots to read and respond to emails and proofread her PR plans. But the chatbot’s responses don’t always reflect her true nature.
“There’s an inflection in my writing that tells you I’m from the South, and that’s on purpose,” says Jones, who is black. She writes in a way that is intentional about her culture, but the responses she gets from the bot often don’t reflect that.
Software engineer De Beizer said there’s one big advantage to using an AI chatbot as a personal assistant: They never get tired or sleep.
The downside? It raises privacy concerns: By handing over your personal information, emails, calendars and personal notes to an AI chatbot, you’re handing it over to a big corporation, he warned.
That’s it for our health and lifestyle report.
This is Anna Matteo.
I’m Andrew Smith.
Kenya Hunter reported this story for The Associated Press. Anna Matteo contributed to Learning English.
Quiz – AI app helps ADHD sufferers
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Words in this story
Focal point – n. The center of activity, attraction, or attention
Generative – adjective having the power or function of generation, origin, production, or reproduction
instrumental – adjective serving as an important means, agent, or tool
Treading water – A person floating in an upright position in deep water with slight movement of the legs
Life preserver -n. A device (such as a life jacket or life buoy) designed to provide buoyancy in water and to save a drowning person.
Neurodiverse – adjective: Having or being associated with a disorder or condition that affects the way the brain processes information (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder), exhibiting or characterized by variations in typical neurodevelopment
inconclusive -adjective not leading to a conclusion or clear result
Diagnose -n. To recognize (as an illness) by signs or symptoms
Rhythm – n. The rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in a language.
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