“The chatbot changed my life”

While for many of us AI chatbots are perhaps just an interesting novelty, for some people they are proving to be transformative.

Yasmin Shaheen-Zafar, from North Yorkshire, has dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As a result of these conditions, she would struggle with written assignments. Then AI came into her life.

“I was acquainted a few years ago [popular AI chatbot] Jasper and it transformed my life,” says Ms Shaheen-Zafar, who is a qualified psychotherapist. “He became my friend.”

She uses Jasper to help her fine-tune both the structure and spelling of her writing, which now includes even a recently published self-help book for people with neurodiversity.

This word is a general term for conditions and disorders including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Tourette’s disease and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

London-based tech entrepreneur Alex Sergeant says using AI helps with his OCD.

He uses AI-based transcription app Otter.ai to record and organize his meetings.

Mr. Sergeant explains that while his extreme attention to detail and ritual has been a burden in the past, he “can feel comfortable delegating things. And I’ve pretty much been doing that a lot with AI lately.

The main reason people with psychiatric or psychological conditions may gravitate toward AI tools isn’t just ease, according to Haley Brackley, a neurodiversity coach and trainer.

“I think one of the huge things is that there’s no shame or stigma in asking ChatGPT or any other AI tool to do something.”

For example, she explains that there is an assumption that most people need to know how to write, which is especially difficult for someone with dyslexia.

Ms Brackley, who herself has dyslexia, ADHD and autism, says AI chatbots allow her to “get my challenge across without having to explain too much why [to another human]”.

She adds: “The point is, if there’s a crutch to help you walk and you have difficulty walking, why don’t you use a crutch? So if AI provides you with a mechanism to make your work world easier, then there’s a lot of argument to say “let’s use it”.

Ms. Brackley says that in her work with companies and their neurodiverse employees, some firms are more open to introducing assistive AI tools than others.

Still, she adds, if AI is available to the entire workforce, then everyone benefits. “What happens is we put something in for a minority, but it ends up helping the majority without putting anyone at a disadvantage.”

Although many of the tools now used by the neurodiversity community are mainstream AI products, some offerings are specifically designed for them, such as a website and app called Goblin Tools.

Powered by ChatGPT, users can do everything from create to-do lists, make their written sentences more formal, check if they’re misreading the tone of someone’s email, get an estimate of how long something will take, and even get advice on cooking about how to turn a set of ingredients into a meal.

Goblin Tools was created by Belgian software engineer Bram De Buyser, who says it’s something of an ode to his neurodivergent friends.

“My friends have certain struggles and needs, so I thought maybe I could create something that — if not completely help them — at least ease that struggle a little.”

Mr De Buyser says their website now has 500,000 monthly users. It is free to use but you have to pay to download the app versions.

AI chatbots have also been created specifically for neurodiverse children, such as InnerVoice, an app created by California-based tech firm iTherapy.

Aimed at children with autism, parents can help their son or daughter animate an object or person from the child’s life, such as a favorite toy or pet. This then turns into a talking avatar on your phone or computer screen.

Matthew Gougemoss, co-founder of iTherapy, says that children with autism are often able to engage more with computers than with the so-called real world around them. He adds that he sees artificial intelligence being increasingly used to help the neurodivergent.

“I feel AI can give neurodivergent people some extra tools and help them communicate with less effort if needed,” he says.