Becky Litvintchouk didn’t think she could handle the mountain of tasks that come with starting a business. All other areas of her life were overwhelming because her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can affect her ability to concentrate.
So she turned to artificial intelligence (AI). The app Claude helps her decide which contracts make the most sense for her sanitary wipes business GetDirty without having to read them word for word. She also created business plans by telling the generative AI bot her goals and having it create steps to achieve them.
“It has just contributed enormously. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said of the use of AI over the past two years.
Experts say generative AI tools can help people with ADHD – who have difficulty concentrating, organizing and controlling impulses – complete tasks more quickly. But they also caution against replacing traditional treatment for ADHD, raising concerns about potential over-dependence and invasion of privacy.
Will apps replace ADHD treatment?
Emily Kircher-Morris, a counselor who specializes in neurodivergent patients, said she has found the tools useful for her clients with ADHD, and she even uses them herself, as she has ADHD herself.
Her clients, she said, seem to have varying degrees of comfort with the idea of using AI. But for those who are excited about the technology, “it can really help hook people, like, ‘Oh, this is a pretty neat new thing that’s piqued my interest. And so I really want to dig into it and explore it.'”
She also said caution is needed. Dr. John Mitchell, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine, added that AI apps should be used as “a tool in a toolbox” rather than replacing traditional treatments such as developing organizational skills or taking prescription medications.
“If your job is keeping you afloat, so to speak, and AI is a life preserver, then while it’s great that it keeps you afloat, you still can’t swim,” he said.
What else can the apps do?
Litvintchouk, a married mother of four living in New York City, dropped out of high school and withdrew from the workforce — all things that research shows are more common in people with ADHD and put them at higher risk of economic instability.
In addition to her business, she also uses ChatGPT for shopping—which can also be challenging for people with ADHD due to the organizational and planning skills required—by brainstorming easy-to-prepare recipes with a corresponding shopping list.
When she showed her technique to another mother who also suffers from ADHD, she felt that more people should know about it, so she started making videos on TikTok about different AI tools that help her manage her ADHD issues.
“Then I thought to myself: You know what? I have to educate people,” she said.
Generative AI tools can help people with ADHD break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Chatbots can provide specific advice and sound like you’re talking to a human. Some AI apps can also help with reminders and productivity.
Software developer Bram de Buyser said he designed Goblin.tools with his neurodiverse friends in mind. The most popular feature is the “magic to-do,” where a user can type in a task and the bot spits out a to-do list. You can even break the items on the list down into smaller tasks.
“I’m not trying to develop a cure,” he said, “but something that will help them with two minutes a day that they would otherwise struggle with.”
What problems could apps cause?
Professor Russell Fulmer, PhD at Husson University, describes the research on AI and ADHD as “inconclusive.” While experts say AI could have a positive impact on the lives of people with anxiety and ADHD, Fulmer says it could work perfectly well on any person, such as people with dark skin and ADHD.
He pointed out that some chatbot responses were racist and biased.
Valese Jones, publicist and founder of Sincerely Nicole Media, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. She uses AI bots to help her read and respond to emails and proofread PR plans, but the answers don’t always reflect who she really is.
“I’m Southern, so I talk like a Southern woman. There are cadences in my writing where you can kind of tell I’m Southern, and that’s intentional,” said Jones, who is black. “It doesn’t capture the tone of black women, and when you put something in there like, ‘Say it like African-Americans,’ it automatically becomes kind of like ‘Malibu’s Most Wanted.'”
And de Buyser said that while he sees a future in which AI chatbots function more like personal assistants that “never get tired and never sleep,” this could also have privacy implications.
“If you say, ‘Oh, I want an AI that gives me personal information and checks my calendar,’ and all that, then you’re giving this big company access to your email, your calendar, your personal correspondence, essentially your deepest, darkest secrets, just so it can give you something useful back,” he warned.
