Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants
Abstract We investigated how intelligent virtual assistants (IVA), including Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Samsung’s Bixby, responded to addiction help-seeking queries. We recorded if IVAs provided a singular response and if so, did they link users to treat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2020-01-01
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| Series: | npj Digital Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0215-9 |
| _version_ | 1797641775014215680 |
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| author | Alicia L. Nobles Eric C. Leas Theodore L. Caputi Shu-Hong Zhu Steffanie A. Strathdee John W. Ayers |
| author_facet | Alicia L. Nobles Eric C. Leas Theodore L. Caputi Shu-Hong Zhu Steffanie A. Strathdee John W. Ayers |
| author_sort | Alicia L. Nobles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We investigated how intelligent virtual assistants (IVA), including Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Samsung’s Bixby, responded to addiction help-seeking queries. We recorded if IVAs provided a singular response and if so, did they link users to treatment or treatment referral services. Only 4 of the 70 help-seeking queries presented to the five IVAs returned singular responses, with the remainder prompting confusion (e.g., “did I say something wrong?”). When asked “help me quit drugs” Alexa responded with a definition for the word drugs. “Help me quit…smoking” or “tobacco” on Google Assistant returned Dr. QuitNow (a cessation app), while on Siri “help me quit pot” promoted a marijuana retailer. IVAs should be revised to promote free, remote, federally sponsored addiction services, such as SAMSHA’s 1-800-662-HELP helpline. This would benefit millions of IVA users now and more to come as IVAs displace existing information-seeking engines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:50:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bba3f02fc50943eb86eac74ad4b32d66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-6352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:50:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Digital Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-bba3f02fc50943eb86eac74ad4b32d662023-11-02T09:21:15ZengNature Portfolionpj Digital Medicine2398-63522020-01-01311310.1038/s41746-019-0215-9Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistantsAlicia L. Nobles0Eric C. Leas1Theodore L. Caputi2Shu-Hong Zhu3Steffanie A. Strathdee4John W. Ayers5The Center for Data Driven Health at Qualcomm Institute, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San DiegoThe Center for Data Driven Health at Qualcomm Institute, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San DiegoThe Center for Data Driven Health at Qualcomm Institute, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San DiegoDivision of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Family Medicine & Public Health, University of California San DiegoDivision of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San DiegoThe Center for Data Driven Health at Qualcomm Institute, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San DiegoAbstract We investigated how intelligent virtual assistants (IVA), including Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Samsung’s Bixby, responded to addiction help-seeking queries. We recorded if IVAs provided a singular response and if so, did they link users to treatment or treatment referral services. Only 4 of the 70 help-seeking queries presented to the five IVAs returned singular responses, with the remainder prompting confusion (e.g., “did I say something wrong?”). When asked “help me quit drugs” Alexa responded with a definition for the word drugs. “Help me quit…smoking” or “tobacco” on Google Assistant returned Dr. QuitNow (a cessation app), while on Siri “help me quit pot” promoted a marijuana retailer. IVAs should be revised to promote free, remote, federally sponsored addiction services, such as SAMSHA’s 1-800-662-HELP helpline. This would benefit millions of IVA users now and more to come as IVAs displace existing information-seeking engines.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0215-9 |
| spellingShingle | Alicia L. Nobles Eric C. Leas Theodore L. Caputi Shu-Hong Zhu Steffanie A. Strathdee John W. Ayers Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants npj Digital Medicine |
| title | Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| title_full | Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| title_fullStr | Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| title_short | Responses to addiction help-seeking from Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| title_sort | responses to addiction help seeking from alexa siri google assistant cortana and bixby intelligent virtual assistants |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0215-9 |
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