Rutgers study finds 1 in 3 young adults use AI chatbots for drug and alcohol information
NEW JERSEY — More than one-third of young adults are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT for information about drugs, alcohol and substance use, raising concerns among Rutgers researchers about the potential for misinformation to influence health decisions.
A new Rutgers Health study found that more than 32% of participants ages 18 to 29 reported using generative AI tools to obtain substance use-related information, primarily to learn about the risks and consequences associated with drugs and alcohol.
The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research Formative Research, analyzed survey responses from nearly 1,000 young adults to examine how frequently they use AI for substance-related questions, what information they seek and how they perceive the reliability of chatbot responses.
Researchers said the findings highlight a growing public health concern as young adults increasingly rely on AI-generated answers for information that could affect their health and safety.
“Using these tools can lead to misinformed or otherwise risky substance-use behavior among young people, who are the age group most affected by adverse effects of substance use,” said Mireia Triguero Roura, a postdoctoral researcher with the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and lead author of the study.
According to the researchers, approximately half of the respondents who reported using AI for substance use-related information said they did so at least once a month. The findings suggest that chatbots are becoming a recurring source of information for some young adults rather than simply a tool used occasionally.
The research comes as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday information searches. Recent survey data cited by Rutgers found that 66% of young adults use AI for purposes that include searching for information and obtaining medical advice.
The Rutgers study also identified differences in chatbot use among demographic groups. Black participants and male participants were more likely to report using AI for substance use-related information, although researchers said additional investigation is needed to understand the factors contributing to those differences.
“The observed disparities in who chooses to use AI for drug-related inquiries could reflect differences in healthcare access, stigma, trust, and health information-seeking behaviors,” said Triguero Roura.
Researchers also examined participants’ perceptions of AI-generated information and found that young adults generally reported high levels of trust in the tools, viewing their responses as reliable and helpful.
That confidence is concerning to researchers because generative AI systems can produce inaccurate or misleading information while presenting responses in ways that appear authoritative.
The study was coauthored by Pia M. Mauro, an associate professor at the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science and the Rutgers School of Public Health.
Triguero Roura and Mauro said further research is needed to examine how young adults interpret and understand AI-generated responses about drugs and alcohol, as well as how reliance on those responses may influence substance use behaviors and broader public health outcomes.
The researchers said understanding these patterns will become increasingly important as generative AI continues to shape how young people access health-related information.
The full study is available in the Journal of Medical Internet Research Formative Research.
