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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly gaining popularity over the past few years, and it is showing real promise in helping people with addiction and in substance use prevention. Its ability to provide accurate, evidence-based information makes it a powerful tool that could support people struggling with these challenges.
While the technology isn't perfect yet, recent studies have highlighted exciting ways AI could make a difference, and its global accessibility allows people worldwide to benefit.
AI in addiction support and virtual care: Prevention, treatment, and recovery
ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence platform created by OpenAI, has been one of the main AIs used in recent studies. Research has shown promising benefits across different stages of substance use and addiction treatment.
AI could be a powerful tool in the prevention of addiction by offering helpful advice and connecting people with support resources. [1] This study showed that ChatGPT was able to consistently provide evidence-based answers on a range of topics, including addiction and mental health. [1] While it primarily offered advice rather than referrals, there are promising signs to build on as AI develops.
AI can also support addiction treatment in several ways. AI chatbots can provide instant, 24-hour support for those suffering from addiction or in crisis, in situations where time is of the essence. [2] These technologies can also help create personalized treatment plans based on a person’s behaviors and preferences, potentially increasing the chances of successful recovery. In addition, AI has been used to optimize medication use in patients, ensuring they are on the right treatment and flagging any possible medication interactions. [3]
Following addiction treatment, AI also has a place in ongoing recovery and maintaining abstinence. Recent findings have even found that AI could analyze social media activity to predict if someone is likely to relapse during their addiction recovery. [4] It can ask targeted questions to monitor an individual’s symptoms, and AI can also provide helpful reminders about recovery plan tasks. This is only the beginning; as AI is developed further, its abilities to assist in addiction and substance use will only grow larger.
Preventing substance use disorders with AI
One of the biggest strengths of AI is its ability to quickly analyze massive amounts of data, using the results to help identify those at risk of substance use disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated how AI and machine learning can predict the risk of opioid use disorder and the risk of overdose, outperforming previous algorithms. [5] Applying AI to public health data can allow efficient analysis of large groups of people, identifying what public health interventions should be made to reduce the risk of substance use on both small and large scales.
Personalized addiction treatment
Online mental healthcare has a high dropout rate with low treatment adherence, but AI could help in addressing these challenges. [6] AI-assisted therapy can help to customize an individual’s treatment plan based on their behavior, preferences, and response to treatment, which the AI can learn over time. This could be used to create an effective and highly personalized treatment plan for those suffering from addiction.
Studies have shown that AI-delivered interventions have good effects on managing mental health symptoms; however, the dropout rate remained the same, compared to non-AI online treatment. [6] Once further studies and development in AIs are complete, the personalized treatment plans can be made even more engaging, helping to reduce dropout rates.
AI behavioral analysis in addiction recovery
As mentioned, AI has already been shown to predict the success of addiction recovery based on analyzing social media activity, but what if it could do even more? Developments are underway in producing smartphone apps and wearables that can complement addiction treatment. [4] This involves devices that can detect cravings or high-stress moments and immediately take action to help, such as sending a supportive text to a family member, playing a calming song, or offering an immediate coping strategy. This is an exciting technology that could revolutionize addiction recovery by reducing the risk of relapse.
AI and medically assisted treatment (MAT)
AI is proving to be a powerful tool not just in treatment planning, but also in drug development for addiction. [7] A study has shown AI could help streamline the process of designing new drugs by analyzing chemical databases and protein structures, making inferences about what chemical structures could have a specific function. [7] This would make the drug development process much more efficient and more cost-effective, and AI has already identified several compounds with properties that could be used for drugs targeted for opioid addiction treatment. [7]
It’s hoped that using AI in this way can help make drug development cheaper and quicker, getting effective new drugs to market for addiction treatment in less time.
Can AI replace human crisis hotlines?
AI can provide instantaneous, 24/7 support for those in crisis. However, there are a few limitations to its current use. One study has shown that ChatGPT predicted a much lower suicide risk compared to a medical professional. [8] This could lead to AI providing inappropriate or insufficient support. While AI can provide consistent, evidence-based information, it often needs to improve in offering appropriate referrals.
People may also find they miss that ‘human experience’ and would much rather talk through things with a person, as opposed to a computer. Despite this, as AI technology continues to develop, it could become a more reliable tool for crisis support.
Limitations and ethical concerns
Currently, AI is still developing, and it is not ready to take on major aspects of addiction treatment independently. While it can be effective in developing personalized treatment plans and drug development, it needs further enhancement in its crisis management and ability to refer people to the correct organization.
Ethically, there are concerns that if AI is not closely monitored, it could provide incorrect information, directly leading to harm. It will need a lot more time, development, and research before AI can be trusted enough to be a main part of addiction treatment. Even then, there will be people who prefer human interactions for their treatment (instead of a computer), which will always be a stumbling block no matter how advanced AI becomes.
Future of AI in addiction treatment and support
Advancements in all areas of AI are happening constantly, including in smartphone apps, chatbots, and drug development. ChatGPT was only launched in 2022, and since then, AI has become much more common in every aspect of life. As research continues to accelerate, the potential for AI to revolutionize addiction treatment and support becomes increasingly apparent.
AI-developed pharmaceuticals will become more sophisticated, intelligent mobile applications and wearable technologies will be able to proactively monitor and predict potential relapse, and advanced chatbots can provide immediate support with increasingly accurate information. This is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field that is likely to revolutionize addiction treatment in the near future.
