A Randomized Trial of an AI Intervention to Help Individuals With Risky Alcohol Use Among Emergency Department Patients
Stanford University
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a novel digital strategy combining a generative AI counseling agent (MICA) and weekly SMS boosters works to reduce risky drinking among Emergency Department patients.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. For men: 1+ days with 5 or more drinks OR any week with 14+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 2. For women: 1+ days with 4 or more drinks OR any week with 7+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 3. Owns a mobile phone 4. Reads English language Exclusion Criteria: 1. For women: current or planned pregnancy in next 12 months 2. Prisoner or active military status
Interventions
- BehavioralMICA
MICA is an AI chatbot that uses a secure API with ChatGPT and prompted to follow MI principles to support individuals in exploring and resolving ambivalence about their alcohol use. MICA follows a predefined conversational framework and steps: introduction, engagement, focusing, evoking, planning, and closing-adapted from Miller \& Rollnick's Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.).
- BehavioralTRAC
Weekly SMS check-ins designed to support goal-setting, self-monitoring, and adaptive self-regulation strategies. Beginning the Sunday after enrollment, participants will engage with an automated SMS program once weekly for 12 weeks. Prompts include reporting on the past week's alcohol use and whether they are willing to commit to a drinking limit goal for the upcoming week. Responses trigger tailored feedback.
Location
- Stanford University Medical CenterPalo Alto, California