Washington, D.C. – A new study published in the Journal of Digital Health examines the impact of “PregBot,” an artificial‑intelligence‑driven chatbot designed to answer text‑based queries about early pregnancy symptoms, prenatal care, and warning signs of complications. Over a six‑month trial, 12,000 users in the United States and Kenya interacted with PregBot via SMS and WhatsApp. The researchers found that 87 % of users reported receiving timely, accurate information, and 4.2 % of the interactions led to immediate medical referrals, including cases of ectopic pregnancy and pre‑eclampsia. Dr. Aisha Patel, lead author of the study, notes that the chatbot’s natural‑language processing was trained on WHO guidelines and vetted by obstetricians. However, the study also warns of limitations: the system cannot replace in‑person care, and there were instances of users receiving outdated information due to lag in guideline updates. The authors recommend integrating AI chatbots into public‑health outreach programs while maintaining robust monitoring and regular content audits.
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