A new mobile app powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could help individuals quit smoking, according to a recent study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
The app uses machine learning to gather information about the location, timing and triggers of past smoking events, curating messages to help smokers manage their urges.
Until the app came along, there was no other way to offer smokers support in coping with post-smoking social situations and urges, says the head of health psychology at the University of East Anglia’s School of Health Sciences. Researcher and Professor Felix Norton, Ph.D., M.S. in a statement in the UK.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia compared various effectiveness ratings between an app called Quit Sense and online support provided by the National Health Service (NHS). All participants received NHS online smoking support and 50% also had access to the Quit Sense intervention. At 6 months, those who claimed to have quit smoking submitted saliva samples for confirmation.
More than four times as many people in the Quit Sense cohort successfully quit smoking compared to those who received NHS support alone. It’s the first mobile app to use AI to help individuals quit smoking, and investigators say it could make a big contribution to the UK government’s efforts to make Britain smoke-free by 2030. suggesting.
