Chatbot launched to help youth conquer myths, navigate sensitive issues
Published:Saturday | November 25, 2023 | 12:10 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) has launched a chatbot to give children access to real-time, accurate and age-appropriate information to improve their knowledge, promote risk reduction measures and increase access to sexual and reproductive health and mental health services.
The chatbot, dubbed ‘Yute Chatz’, targets persons aged between 13 and 24 and was developed in collaboration with UNICEF and U-Report Jamaica.
A chatbot communicates similarly to instant messaging with the use of software that stimulate human conversations.
It enables communication between a human and a machine, which can take the form of messages or voice commands and is designed to work without the assistance of a human operator.
Nickeisha Barnes, director of health promotions and preventions at the NFPB, said that the platform was created with the input of children.
“We did a research called the Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavioural Practices Survey. It showed us that knowledge, when it comes to HIV prevention and pregnancy prevention, was low in our adolescent population, so we were trying to figure out how do we provide information to young people,” Barnes said during Friday’s launch,
She said that the team decided to tap into the social media space with something innovative.
“We tried social media and wanted something that was real-time and current to how young people are operating, hence AI (artificial intelligence). That idea mushroomed from young people when we ask in another quick snapshot survey, ‘How else can we reach you with information that is accurate so we can debunk myths?’,” she said.
According to her, the youth requested an interface they could speak to and so UNICEF was approached, and the rest is history.
“They had developed chatbot in another country and so we knew we had a pilot to work from. We said, ‘Let’s tweak it and add the Jamaican context’,” Barnes said, adding that the project is expansive.
UNICEF Nutrition Specialist Vonetta Nurse said one of their mantras is that nothing should be done for young people without them.
“We are excited to partner with NFPB on this youth expression chatbot. We know young people face many challenges in terms of getting information … . it gets no better than IG (Instagram) and WhatsApp,” she said.
The UNICEF U-Report platform offers services to young people that allows them to have their voice heard on matters of importance.
“The U-Report platform hosts several different services like mental health and job opportunities,” Nurse said, of the possibilities with Yute Chatz now added.
Platform safe, private
Project Manager Renae Richards said it took over a year to bring the idea to life.
She urged parents to check out the platform and help children to understand its offerings.
“We are going to build it out even better. As we go along, we are gonna continue monitoring and improving it … . It’s private, it’s confidential. None of your information is stored. Your phone number turns into a code … . Persons can feel safe to explore anything on the chatbot,” she said.
NFPB Executive Director Dr Lovette Byfield noted that the technology comes at a time when so much misinformation is around.
“We at the NFPB have really been trying to engage and get in touch with our young people because we realise that a number of things are happening, and if we don’t provide the right information ... in a way that you want it, we would have lost you totally,” she said to the youth in attendance.
One student, who spoke to The Gleaner said, she will definitely be making use of the platform, noting that it is user-friendly.
She told our news team that her parents cannot read and so they usually shy away from discussions even when she tries to engage them with the little that she knows.
“This is really cool technology. If I am not sure about a topic, I no longer have to feel shy to ask my parents or speak about it. I just use the platform. It will help children like me to be more conscious and make sound decisions,” the 13-year-old said.
A 12-year-old youngster told The Gleaner that the platform could not have come at a better time.
“I’m used to ChatGPT and this is similar. At school, they tell us about fake news and I’ll use the upcoming holidays to get familiar [with Yute Chatz] and tell my friends about it. It looks fun and easy to use. Children are always curious, so I hope it is as engaging as they say,” the Calabar High student said.
The Yute Chatz chatbot is also available on WhatsApp at 876-838-4897.