AI-Enabled Personalized Smoking Cessation Intervention With the Aipaca Chatbot: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study
This mixed methods feasibility study demonstrates that GenAI can deliver evidence-based smoking cessation counseling with measurable short-term gains in cessation preparedness and process-level communication patterns consistent with motivational interviewing. Users valued Aipaca's accessibility, empathy, and personalization, while also articulating expectations for richer social roles and long-term accountability. Findings highlight both the promise and challenges of integrating GenAI into digital health: pairing adaptive language generation with human-centered design, embedding accuracy safeguards, and ensuring integration into multilevel cessation infrastructures will be essential for future clinical deployment.
Authors
- Ruosi Shao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8834-4427)
- Zsolt Nagykáldi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1239-6164)
- Lisa Hightow‐Weidman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2421-923X)
- Chongle Pan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2860-0334)
- Paul P. Calle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1849-4481)
- Mark P. Doescher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1631-0428)
- Daniel A. Rubin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2952-023X)
- Yunlong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0733-8803)
- Mariah Vadakekut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3437-2050)
Institutions
- Florida State University (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (US)
- University of Oklahoma (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JMIR Formative Research
- Published
- 2025-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2196/73319
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.54