Pilot Trial of the First Conversational Agent for Smoking Cessation (QuitBot)

Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of cancer in the US, accounting for one-third of all cancer deaths. Within the Fred Hutchinson Center's western Washington State 13-county catchment area, there are enormous disparities in adult cigarette smoking rates. Our recently completed WebQuit website RCT for smoking cessation had low engagement and no personalization to users' needs. Fortunately, a potentially game-changing solution to the problems of engagement and lack of personalization provide a new direction for my research. Advances in machine learning, natural language processing, and cloud computing are making it possible to create and widely disseminate conversational agents (CAs), which are computer-powered digital coaches designed to form long-term social-emotional connections with users through conversations. We have developed a CA for cigarette smoking cessation. In a pilot randomized trial (N = 415), we will compare the experimental messaging program with the standard of care national government smoking cessation messaging program, and then we will compare immediate versus delayed access to the the experimental messaging program. Twelve-week usability, receptivity, and preliminary cessation results will provide critical and timely pilot data.