SEATTLE — Seems like there is an app for just about everything these days, including one that's now helping people quit smoking. Only this one uses artificial intelligence to help quitters walk through it.
"This app is a comprehensive program for helping a person quit cigarette smoking," said Dr. Jonathan Bricker, a psychologist and a scientist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Bricker and his team developed an app called QuitBot to guide a person through the notoriously difficult task of quitting smoking.
"We chose smoking because in the 25 years that I have been a researcher here at the Fred Hutch, what's never changed is that smoking continues to be the most preventable cause of premature death," Bricker said.
The app's release comes as the American Lung Association released its State of Tobacco Control report for 2024. The data showed Washington state received a D grade in providing access to resources to help people quit tobacco. Washington also received an F grade in state funding for tobacco prevention and quitting programs.
Fred Hutch's app hopes to help fill that gap and assist people with quitting effectively.
"It does it with a virtual coach through an avatar called 'Ellen' that people can personalize in how she looks; provides this motivational inspiration for people to use," Bricker said.
"Ellen" is ready to answer any question about cigarettes, the effects of smoking, and more.
Bricker said the bot uses language modeling and is equipped to answer more than 11,000 questions relating to quitting.
"Common questions asked is what's in a cigarette? 'I've been smoking for a really long time. what's gonna be different now?' " Bricker said.
Bricker added the app is designed for users to bond with the chatbot. It is also available 24 hours a day.
"The really interesting thing that happens is that people develop a bond with Ellen. They know that she is just a computer program but they're more willing to reveal things about themselves and they seem very trustworthy of the bond," Bricker said.
Bricker said that's an important component, as the tool helps provide accountability in the quitting process.
The app is currently free to download in your phone's app store.