The future of addiction treatment is here — and it’s probably already in your pocket. Artificial intelligence, which has been making waves in the healthcare industry for a few years now, has finally made its way to addiction recovery. Popping up in the forms of apps and chatbots, experts are hailing AI-leveraged technology as a revolutionary new tool for recovery that could make it the perfect accountability partner.
The power of accountability
It might seem like a simple concept, but it’s statistically proven that accountability is powerful. Involving someone (or something) else in a goal you want to achieve makes you significantly more likely to accomplish it.
In a study conducted by the Association for Talent Development, the researchers found that someone who had a goal they wanted to achieve, but didn’t create a plan to accomplish it or tell anyone else their intentions, only had a 10% likelihood of achieving it. When there was a source of accountability (in this instance, another person involved in helping them meet their goal), the likelihood of success jumped up to 95%.
How can AI be used as an accountability partner?
An accountability partner is a reliable source of support and motivation towards a specific goal and is encouraged to provide feedback regarding said goal. Examples of accountability partners include classmates who form a study group for an upcoming test, a personal trainer, a pair of friends trying to spend less money.
“Accountability” can look like encouraging consistency, assisting with goal setting and tracking progress, or simply making the task at hand more enjoyable. Whatever the form, the intended outcome is the same: a person maintains progress towards their goal.
Traditionally, accountability partners are thought of as a peer (as opposed to someone in a position of authority) who shares the same goal and mutually benefits from the arrangement. However, an accountability partner can really be anyone (or anything) that encourages behavior conducive to the goal at hand, and this is where AI-powered technology is demonstrating great promise.
Pattern recognition
Just as an IRL accountability partner would be able to respond to changes in your mood or activity, the advanced technology of AI recovery assistants are capable of real-time monitoring that can track things like your mood or activity levels to identify your patterns. With this, AI tools can learn to recognize the signs of unusual behavior that could indicate you might be at risk of relapsing.
Machine learning algorithms are able to create correlations between different factors and identify triggers and other potential relapse risks with surprisingly high accuracy using predictive analytics.
24/7 availability
Moments of weakness can happen at any time, which makes the convenience of an always-accessible virtual recovery assistant so valuable. Say a craving hits at 3 AM. It’s probably unlikely that a human accountability partner would wake up to pick up your call. An AI chatbot, on the other hand, can respond intelligently to your messages to provide encouragement and helpful guidance just as a human person would.
Confidential and judgement-free support
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of having an AI-driven accountability partner, however, is the comfort of having a place to be vulnerable and divulge potentially embarrassing information that is truly neutral and devoid of judgement. While an aversion to disappointing a partner can be a strong motivator to stay on track, it can be a detriment if it leads to feelings of shame and causes someone to be dishonest about their progress or withdraw from their commitment altogether.
Having AI as an accountability partner can feel less invasive since there isn’t a human on the other side that might pass judgment, leading to greater honesty and accurate self-reporting, which enables AI to provide more accurate predictions and recommendations.
Using AI in addiction recovery
Artificial intelligence has tremendous potential as a tool and accountability partner in addiction recovery — but it has its limits. Yes, AI does a pretty stellar job of using factors like mood, fatigue, and environment to predict the likelihood of relapse, but only another human can listen, respond with genuine empathy, or give us a hug (we are biologically wired to want physical contact with others, which can lower anxiety and stress).
AI isn’t meant to be a replacement for human therapists or a support network of family, friends, or peers. Even the most natural chatbot cannot replicate a genuine human connection. If you are in search of an in-person accountability partner, consider giving peer-based support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous a try. There are no sign-ups or name tags involved — just drop in, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by peers who have been exactly where you are.
