The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot called ChatGPT is a powerful way for Black women to educate themselves about HIV prevention, as it provides reliable and culturally sensitive information, according to a study in The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC), the official journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. JANAC is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
The researchers evaluated the utility of the free version of ChatGPT to Black women seeking information on sensitive topics. They submitted 8 prompts, phrasing them in pairs to compare how ChatGPT responded about women in general and how it responded about Black women:
- Prompts 1 and 2—I would like to simulate some interactions between ChatGPT and a woman [Black woman] who is self-educating about HIV prevention
- Prompts 3 and 4—Can you give me information about HIV prevention in Black women [women]?
- Prompts 5 and 6—Can you give me information about HIV PrEP in women [Black women]?
- Prompts 7 and 8—I’m a Black [White] woman in college. My doctor mentioned HIV prevention at my last appointment. I don’t fully understand. Can you tell me more about it?
The responses to each pair of prompts differed when ChatGPT was addressing questions by or about Black women, the researchers found. For example:
- Transcript 2 (the response to prompt 2) acknowledged the user’s racial background and provided a deeper level of detail about access to PrEP than Transcript 1 did. It offered information about financial assistance options, suggesting a heightened awareness of potential disparities in healthcare access based on race, and the tone was supportive and encouraging. In fact, Transcript 2 concluded by praising the user for seeking information about her sexual health and extended a warm invitation to seek further assistance.
- Transcript 5 offered a clinically straightforward and medically focused explanation of PrEP. Transcript 6 took a more holistic and socially conscious approach, mentioning the disproportionate impact of HIV among Black women and delving into healthcare disparities, stigma reduction, and the importance of creating community support networks.
- Transcript 8 maintained a straightforward style and neutral tone, not addressing the user’s racial identity or that she is in college. Transcript 7 adopted a compassionate tone and acknowledged the user’s identity as a Black woman in college. The language emphasized the user’s health as a priority and included the phrase “remember that your doctor mentioned HIV prevention because they care about your well-being.” This empathetic comment appears to be a deliberate effort to address the history of medical mistrust in the Black community.
Wolters Kluwer release on Newswise
