Can AI make our neurodifferent lives a little easier?

It would probably be fair to assume that most people have now heard of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the debates around whether it’s the answer to everything or the beginning of world domination by robots! All that aside, AI does present some interesting potential around ways of supporting disability and neurodifference.

But what actually is AI, and can it make our neurodifferent lives a little easier?

Let’s ask one of the leading AI platforms, ChatGPT…

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) language model developed by OpenAI. Its primary function is to provide human-like responses to textual inputs, making it a powerful tool for communicating and learning in the digital age. One of the most significant advantages of ChatGPT is that it can help individuals with neurodivergent difficulties to communicate and learn in a way that is comfortable for them.

Here are five ways that ChatGPT can help individuals with neurodivergent difficulties.

1. Personalized Learning

ChatGPT can be customized to provide personalized learning experiences that cater to the specific needs and learning styles of individuals with neurodivergent difficulties. This customization can be achieved by training the AI on the individual’s interests, strengths, and challenges. As a result, the AI can offer personalized feedback, reinforcement, and guidance in a way that is accessible and engaging.

2. Social Interaction

ChatGPT can provide a safe and non-judgmental space for individuals with neurodivergent difficulties to practice social interaction skills. It can be challenging for individuals with conditions such as autism or social anxiety disorder to engage in social interactions in real life. With ChatGPT, they can practice social interaction skills at their own pace, without fear of being judged or misunderstood.

3. Emotional Support

ChatGPT can provide emotional support to individuals with neurodivergent difficulties. People with conditions such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD may struggle to express their emotions and find support from others. ChatGPT can provide a supportive and empathetic listening ear, offering guidance, comfort, and reassurance whenever it is needed.

4. Accessibility

ChatGPT can help make online communication and learning more accessible to individuals with neurodivergent difficulties. For example, people with dyslexia may struggle to read large blocks of text, while those with ADHD may have difficulty focusing for extended periods. ChatGPT can break down complex concepts into simpler language, summarize text, and provide bite-sized information in a way that is more manageable for the individual.

5. Skill-building

ChatGPT can help individuals with neurodivergent difficulties to develop new skills and interests. This can be achieved by providing feedback and reinforcement as they learn, encouraging them to explore new ideas, and helping them to overcome challenges. By creating a positive and supportive learning environment, ChatGPT can help individuals with neurodivergent difficulties to build confidence and take on new challenges.

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help individuals with neurodivergent difficulties to communicate, learn, and grow. By providing personalized learning, social interaction, emotional support, accessibility, and skill-building opportunities, ChatGPT can help to bridge the gap between those with neurodivergent conditions and the rest of society. As AI technology continues to advance, we can expect ChatGPT to become an increasingly valuable resource for people of all backgrounds and abilities.

My thoughts…

Pretty impressive stuff!

Some of the suggestions surprised me and would never have crossed my mind. It looks like AI could be a great source of support and make many of the tasks we find difficult a little easier. But that is one of the points about this technology that we need to be mindful of…is the information in the generated text accurate? In this case, can ChatGPT really do all the things it explains? As this technology becomes more mainstream, we will probably need to become used to fact-checking!

Another point to be aware of is the familiar saying “what you get out depends on what you put in!”. This is how I phrased the request that generated the above piece; “Write an article about what ChatGPT is, and 5 ways it can help with neurodivergent difficulties in no more than 500 words.”

It took me about four attempts to phrase this request in a way that produced something I was happy with. But this is nothing new – anyone who has struggled to find information on Google will be familiar with having to phrase search requests ‘just right’. I once asked an IT Technician how she came to have such a wide base of knowledge and the reply was “I don’t! I’m just better at asking Google!”.

Ultimately, these 500 words were created way quicker and are better written than I could ever have hoped to do it. And even if I wasn’t happy with what was created, for someone who finds creating text a time-consuming and exhausting exercise, just having a framework I can work from is extremely helpful, and knowing I won’t be starting with a blank page makes the task so much easier to start – plus the novelty of using AI to help me makes it something I’m interested in doing as opposed to something I’m dreading!

So, assuming I fact-check what’s written and I’m happy it’s accurate – I think I would be comfortable submitting this text. Which leads me to my final question – who owns that text? I didn’t write it, but I did bring it into existence. I would feel uncomfortable putting my name as the author.

Perhaps for now I’ll simply say that this article was created by me with research and writing assistance from ChatGPT!