A Roadmap for Designing More Inclusive Health Chatbots

Researchers from the University of Westminster, the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and Positive East looked at resources from the U.K.'s National Health Service and the World Health Organization to develop their community-driven approach for increasing inclusivity, acceptability and engagement with artificial intelligence chatbots.Aiming to identify activities that reduce bias in conversational AI and make their designs and implementation more equitable, researchers looked at several frameworks for evaluating and implementing new healthcare technologies, including the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, updated in 2022. When they found that frameworks lacked guidance for handling unique challenges associated with conversational AI technologies – data security and governance, ethical concerns and the need for diverse training datasets – they followed content analysis with a draft conceptual framework and consulted stakeholders. The report guides 10 stages of AI chatbot development, beginning with concept and planning, including safety measures, structure for preliminary testing, governance for healthcare integration and auditing and maintenance and ending with termination.