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Intelligent chatbot for online support groups to treat tobacco addiction.

Award Number: R34DA061012
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2029

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Intelligent chatbot for online support groups to treat tobacco addiction. - PROJECT ABSTRACT We seek to refine, field test, and deploy an intelligent AI-based chatbot in small, peer-to-peer mobile support groups for smoking cessation. The chatbot will complement the human support group members by responding to posts when no human can. We expect the chatbot to improve engagement by ensuring no post goes unanswered. By developing and testing this chatbot, we hope to breathe new life into research on mobile health support groups which have been challenged by low engagement. We have already built a chatbot using a state-of-the-art open-access LLM (large language model) and set it up on a local, dedicated, secure server. The LLM does not store data on the cloud and all posts are encrypted before server storage. We have trained our chatbot on 77400 posts from our past mobile support groups to accurately comprehend the 25 most common post types. We have developed 25 response libraries for the chatbot that contain over 1k responses developed from knowledge bases, e.g., it provides support for quitting, assists with study-provided NRT, and advises on coping with cravings and stress. Our chatbot intervention is based on the Supportive Accountability Model of Mobile Health. We expect the peers in the group to provide legitimate information that is relevant, trustworthy, and expert, and to form social bonds by being caring, nonjudgmental, and timely, increasing accountability and adherence. By adding a chatbot, we hope to provide additional legitimate information and social bonding. Aim 1 is to refine the chatbot using human-centered design methods. Before putting the chatbot into groups, we want to ensure it can communicate 1:1. We will recruit 4 groups of 5 smokers (N=20), and ask each person to interact with the chatbot, using all 25 post types. They will think aloud in the presence of trained staff to identify and solve usage problems. The sessions will be taped, a survey conducted, and usability metrics assessed. Aim 2 to conduct a one-armed field trial to assess the chatbot’s feasibility and acceptability within human support groups. We will recruit smokers in 2 groups of 10 (N=20). Participants will be placed in a mobile group with the chatbot and asked to support each other in quitting for 2 weeks. We will download and analyze posts and conduct exit interviews. Aim 3 is to conduct a pilot RCT of chatbot efficacy. We will recruit 4 cohorts with 30 smokers per cohort, randomizing 15 smokers to intervention arm (support group with chatbot) and 15 to control arm (support group without chatbot). We will measure primary and secondary engagement outcomes and will have adequate power to compare intervention vs. control. We will also measure intervention-end bioconfirmed abstinence to power a larger RCT.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $235,500 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	1	5/28/2026	NEW	$235,500
														Subtotal = $235,500

Grand Total All Awards = $235,500

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Intelligent chatbot for online support groups to treat tobacco addiction.

Award Number: R34DA061012

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2029

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