Becky Litvintchouk didn鈥檛 think she鈥檇 be able to manage the mountain of tasks needed to become an entrepreneur. Every other part of her life has been overwhelming because of ADHD, which can impact her ability to concentrate.
So, she turned to AI. The app Claude helps her decide which contracts made the most sense for her hygienic-wipes business, GetDirty, without having to read them word for word. She also created business plans by telling the generative AI bot what her goals were and having it create steps for her to get there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been just massively instrumental. I probably would not be where I am today,鈥 she said of using AI for about two years.
Experts say generative AI tools can help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 鈥 who experience difficulties with focusing, organizing and controlling impulses 鈥 to get through tasks quicker. But they also caution that it shouldn鈥檛 replace traditional treatment for ADHD, and also expressed concerns about potential overreliance and invasion of privacy.
Will apps replace ADHD treatment?
Emily Kircher-Morris, a counselor who focuses on neurodivergent patients, said she鈥檚 seen the tools be useful to her clients with ADHD. She even uses them herself since she has ADHD.
Her clients, she said, seem to have varying levels of comfort with the idea of using AI. But for those who take to the technology, 鈥渋t really can help to hook people in, like, 鈥極h, this is kind of a fancy new thing that catches my interest. And so I really want to dig in and explore it.鈥欌
She also said it's good to use caution. John Mitchell, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine, added that AI apps should be used more as 鈥渙ne tool in a toolbox鈥 instead of replacing traditional treatments such as developing organizational skills or taking prescription medications.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e kind of treading water in your job and AI鈥檚 a life preserver, well, that鈥檚 great you鈥檙e staying above water, but, you know, you still don鈥檛 know how to swim,鈥 he said.
What else can the apps do?
Litvintchouk, a married mother of four living in New York City, dropped out of high school and left the workforce 鈥 all things that research shows are more likely to happen to people with ADHD, putting them at higher risk of economic instability.
Aside from helping with her business, she uses ChatGPT to help with grocery shopping 鈥 another thing that can be fraught for people with ADHD because of the organization and planning skills needed 鈥 by having it brainstorm easy-to-prepare recipes with a corresponding grocery list.
When she shared her technique with another mom who also has ADHD, she felt more people needed to know about it, so she started creating videos on TikTok about various AI tools she uses to help manage her ADHD struggles.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I was like, you know what? I need to, like, educate people,鈥 she said.
Generative AI tools can help people with ADHD break down big tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Chatbots can offer specific advice and can sound like you're talking with a human. Some AI apps can also help with reminders and productivity.
Software engineer Bram de Buyser, said he created Goblin.tools with his neurodivergent friends in mind. Its most popular feature is the 鈥渕agic to-do,鈥 where a user can enter a task and the bot will spit out a to-do list. They can even break down items on the list into smaller tasks.
鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to build a cure,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut something that helps them out (for) two minutes out of the day that they would otherwise struggle with.鈥
What kinds of problems could apps create?
Husson University professor Russell Fulmer describes the research around AI and ADHD as 鈥渋nconclusive." While experts say they see how artificial intelligence could have a positive impact on the lives of people with anxiety and ADHD, Fulmer said, it may not work perfectly for everyone, like people of color with ADHD.
He pointed to chatbot responses that have been .
Valese Jones, a publicist and founder of Sincerely Nicole Media, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and uses AI bots to help with reading and responding to emails and proofreading public relations plans. But its responses don鈥檛 always capture who she really is.
鈥淚鈥檓 southern, so I talk like a southerner. There are cadences in my writing where you can kind of pick up on the fact that I鈥檓 southern, and that鈥檚 on purpose,鈥 said Jones, who is Black. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 pick up on Black women鈥檚 tone, and if you do put in like, 'say it like African American,鈥 it automatically goes to talking like 鈥楳alibu鈥檚 Most Wanted.鈥欌
And de Buyser said while he sees a future where AI chatbots function more like a personal assistant that is 鈥渘ever tired, never sleeps,鈥 it could also have privacy implications.
鈥淚f you say, 鈥極h, I want an AI that gives me personal information and checks my calendar鈥 and all of that, you are giving that big company access to your emails, your calendar, personal correspondence, essentially your deepest, darkest secrets just so it can give you something useful back,鈥 he warned.
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