Optimizing AI Voice for Adolescent Health: Preferences and Trustworthiness Across Teens and Parent

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Communication
• Artificial Intelligence

Background:

• Effective communication on adolescent health is vital for improving health behaviors.
• Trustworthy information sources are essential for enhancing health literacy in adolescents and their parents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify preferred Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice characteristics for adolescent and parent health education.
• To understand factors influencing the perceived trustworthiness of AI voices in health learning modules.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involved 104 adolescents (ages 11-17) and their parents/guardians.
• Participants evaluated 8 AI voices across learning modules based on 6 predefined factors.
• Trustworthiness and preference ratings were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Social impression and sound appeal were the most significant factors influencing AI voice trustworthiness.
• These factors explained 71-75% of the variance in perceived trustworthiness across all modules.
• Participant demographics included a mean adolescent age of 14.9 and a mean parent/guardian age of 41.9.

Conclusions:

• AI voices that resonate positively with users can increase engagement with health information.
• Tailoring AI voice characteristics to user preferences is key to building trust.
• Improving AI voice design can enhance health literacy for both adolescents and parents.