Potential application of conversational agents in HIV testing uptake among high-risk populations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to be a significant public health problem, with ~1.2 million Americans living with HIV and ~14% unaware of their infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that patients 13 to 64 years of age get screened for HIV at least once, and those with higher risk profiles screen at least annually. Unfortunately, screening rates are below recommendations for high-risk populations, leading to problems of delayed diagnosis. Novel technologies have been applied in HIV research to increase prevention, testing and treatment. Conversational agents, with potential for integrating artificial intelligence and natural language processing, may offer an opportunity to improve outreach to these high-risk populations. The feasibility, accessibility and acceptance of using conversational agents for HIV testing outreach is important to evaluate, especially amidst a global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic when clinical services have been drastically affected. This viewpoint explores the application of a conversational agent in increasing HIV testing among high-risk populations.