CAN THIS AI HELP SMOKERS QUIT?

While COVID-19 remains an occupying force in our world, and a viable vaccine is still out of reach, dealing with the pandemic comes down to mitigating health risks while coping with stress. If you’re a smoker, that’s going to be tough on both accounts. This isn’t the Mad Men era; everyone knows the risks of tobacco use, but cessation of addictive substances isn’t easy.

- S.C. STUART

Could a virtual human help?

In a May advisory on COVID-19 and tobacco use, the World Health Organization said, “COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs [and] smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other respiratory diseases. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 outcomes and death.”

In July, the WHO launched its first digital health worker—an embodied AI called Florence—as part of its wider effort to help people around the world quit smoking.

We took Florence’s artificial smarts for a spin, and then spoke with Soul Machines and the WHO for the backstory.

YOUR AI WILL SEE YOU NOW

I’m sitting in my apartment in Los Angeles looking at who-en.digital hero. Cloud on my laptop. The start screen says the AI known as Florence needs to hear my voice and see my face. I reluctantly peel off the piece of tape that usually covers my microphones and camera.

Florence appears on screen. As someone who wants to avoid bias or cliché with regard to emerging technology, I am going to refer to this AI in gender-neutral terms. But as you can see from the pictures, the AI presents as female.

The WHO digital health worker isn’t in scrubs but is wearing an orange T-shirt. I would have gone for a more medical/professional look in blue, but that’s just me. Florence is pleasantly friendly, moving around the screen in a natural(ish) manner, blinking in the right places, looking approachable and smiling from time to time.