‘Chatbot changed my life’

While for many of us AI chatbots may just be an interesting novelty, for some people they are proving to be transformational.

Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar from North Yorkshire has dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As a result of these conditions, she had problems with written assignments. Then artificial intelligence entered her life.

“They met me a few years ago [popular AI chatbot] Jasper, and it changed my life,” says Ms Shaheen-Zaffar, who is a qualified psychotherapist. “He became my friend.”

She uses Jasper to help her edit the structure and spelling of her written work, which now includes even a recently published self-help book for people with neurodiversity.

The word is an umbrella term for conditions and disorders including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

London tech entrepreneur Alex Sergent says using artificial intelligence helps with his OCD.

He uses the AI-powered transcription app Otter.ai to record and organize his meetings.

Mr. Sergent explains that while his extreme attention to detail and ritual has been a burden in the past, he “can feel comfortable delegating things. And I’ve mostly been doing that a lot with AI lately.”

The main reason people with psychiatric or psychological conditions may gravitate towards AI tools isn’t just ease, according to Hayley Brackley, neurodiversity coach and trainer.

“I think one of the big things is that there’s no shame or stigma in asking ChatGPT or any other AI tool to do something.”

For example, she explains that there is an assumption that most people should be able to spell, which is especially difficult for someone with dyslexia.

Ms Brackley, who herself suffers from dyslexia, ADHD and autism, says AI chatbots allow her to “outsource her challenge without having to explain too much why [to another human]”.

She adds: “The thing is, if a crutch helps you walk and you have difficulty walking, why not use a crutch? And so, if AI provides you with a mechanism by which you can facilitate your working world, then there’s a lot of argument to say ‘let’s use it’.”

Ms Brackley says that in her work with companies and their neurodiversionary employees, some companies are more open to introducing assistive AI tools than others.

However, she adds that if AI is available to the entire workforce, then everyone benefits from it. “What happens is we put something in place for a minority, but then it ends up helping the majority without harming anyone.”

While many of the tools now used by the neurodiverse community are mainstream AI products, some offerings were created specifically for them, such as a website and app called Goblin Tools.

Powered by ChatGPT, users can do everything from creating to-do lists, formalizing their written sentences, checking to see if they’ve misread the tone of someone’s email, getting an estimate of how long something will take, and even getting cooking tips on how to ingredients into a meal.

Goblin Tools was created by Belgian software engineer Bram De Buyser, who says it’s a kind of ode to his neurodivergent friends.

“My friends have certain problems and needs, so I thought maybe I could build something that would – if not completely help them – at least alleviate some of that struggle.”

Mr De Buyser says their website now has 500,000 monthly users. It is free to use, while you have to pay to download versions of the app.

AI chatbots have also been created specifically for neurodiverse children, such as InnerVoice, an app created by California-based tech company iTherapy.

Designed for children with autism, parents can help their son or daughter animate an object or person from their child’s life, such as a favorite toy or pet. This then becomes a talking avatar on the phone or computer screen.

Matthew Guggemos, co-founder of iTherapy, says that autistic children can often be more engaged with computers than with the so-called real world around them. He adds that he sees artificial intelligence being used more and more only to help the neurodivergent.

“I think artificial intelligence can give neurodivergent people some extra tools and help them communicate with less effort if needed,” he says.