People with ADHD are turning to AI apps to help with homework. Experts recommend trying them with caution

Becky Litvintchouk didn’t think she could handle the mountain of tasks required to become an entrepreneur. All other aspects of her life have been overwhelming because of ADHD, which can affect her ability to focus.

So she turned to AI. The Claude app helps her decide which contracts are best suited 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 what her goals were and having it create the steps to achieve them.

“It’s been a huge help. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said of using AI for about two years.

Experts say generative AI tools can help people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder — who have difficulty focusing, organizing and controlling impulses — complete tasks more quickly. But they also caution that it should not replace traditional ADHD treatment and have also raised concerns about potential over-reliance and invasion of privacy.

Will apps replace ADHD treatment?

Emily Kircher-Morris, a counselor who focuses on neurodivergent patients, said she has seen the tools be helpful for her clients with ADHD. She even uses them herself, since she has ADHD.

According to her, her clients seem to have varying levels of comfort with the idea of ​​using AI, but for those who are interested in the technology, “it can really help engage people, like, ‘Oh, this is this fancy new thing that I’m interested in. So I really want to dig in and explore it. ’”

He also said it’s good to be cautious. John Mitchell, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine, added that AI applications should be used more as “one more tool in a toolbox” rather than replacing traditional treatments like developing organizational skills or taking prescription medications.

“If you’re kind of on the verge of getting out of the water at work and AI is your life preserver, well, it’s great that you’re staying afloat, but, you know, you can’t swim yet,” he said.

What else can apps do?

Litvintchouk, a married mother of four living in New York City, dropped out of high school and left the workforce — all things that research shows are more likely to happen to people with ADHD, putting them at greater risk for economic instability.

In addition to helping her with her business, she uses ChatGPT to help her grocery shop (another thing that can be tricky for people with ADHD due to the organizational and planning skills required) by having her think of easy-to-make recipes with a corresponding shopping list.

When she shared her technique with another mom who also has ADHD, she felt like more people needed to know about it, so she started creating videos on TikTok about various AI tools she uses to help her manage her struggles with ADHD.

“At that moment I thought, ‘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 offer specific advice and can sound like you’re talking to a human. Some AI apps can also help with reminders and productivity.

Software engineer Bram de Buyser said he created Goblin.tools with his neurodivergent friends in mind. Its most popular feature is “magic task,” where a user can enter a task and the bot will generate a to-do list. They can even break down items on the list into smaller tasks.

“I’m not trying to create a cure,” he said, “but something that will help them (for) two minutes a day that they would otherwise struggle to do.”

What types of problems could applications create?

Husson University professor Russell Fulmer describes the research on AI and ADHD as “inconclusive.” While experts say they see how artificial intelligence could have a positive impact on the lives of people with anxiety and ADHD, Fulmer said it may not work perfectly for everyone, such as people of color with ADHD.

She noted that the chatbot’s responses have sometimes been racist and biased.

Valese Jones, a publicist and founder of Sincerely Nicole Media, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and uses AI bots to read and respond to emails and proofread PR plans. But her responses don’t always reflect who she really is.

“I’m Southern, so I talk like a Southerner. There are cadences in my writing that can somehow be perceived in the fact that I’m Southern, and that’s on purpose,” said Jones, who is black. “It doesn’t capture the tone of black women, and if you put something like ‘say it like an African-American,’ it automatically goes to talking like ‘Malibu’s Most Wanted.’”

And de Buyser said that while he sees a future where AI chatbots will function more like a personal assistant that “never gets tired, never sleeps,” it could also have privacy implications.

“If you say, ‘Oh, I want an AI that gives me personal information and looks at my calendar,’ and all that, you’re giving that big company access to your emails, your calendar, personal correspondence, essentially your deepest, darkest secrets just so it can give you something useful in return,” he warned.