AI tools for ADHD: Boost task Management

Becky Litvintchouk didn’t think she could handle the mountain of tasks required to become an entrepreneur. Every other aspect of her life is overwhelming because of ADHD, which can impact her ability to focus.

So she turned to AI. The Claude app helps her decide which contracts make the most sense for her sanitary wipes business, GetDirty, without having to read them word for word. She also created business plans by telling the generative AI bot her goals and asking it to create steps to get there.

“It’s been an extremely useful tool. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said of using AI for about two years.

Experts say generative AI tools can help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—who have difficulty focusing, organizing, and controlling impulses—complete tasks faster. But they also caution that it shouldn’t replace traditional ADHD treatment, and have also raised concerns about potential overreliance and invasion of privacy.

Will apps replace ADHD treatment? Emily Kircher-Morris, a counselor who specializes in neurodivergent patients, said she has found these tools helpful for her clients with ADHD. She uses them herself because she has ADHD.

Her clients, she said, seem to have varying levels of comfort with the idea of ​​using AI. But for those who embrace the technology, “it can help hook people, like, ‘Oh, this is kind of an interesting new thing that catches my interest. So I really want to dig in and explore it.’”

She also said it's good to be cautious. John Mitchell, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine, added that AI applications should be used more as "one tool in a toolbox" rather than replacing traditional treatments such as organizational skills training or prescription medications.

“If you're treading water in your job and AI is a lifeline, well, it's good that you're staying afloat, but you still can't swim,” he said.

What else can apps do?

Litvintchouk, a married mother of four living in New York City, dropped out of high school and left the workforce, things that research shows are more likely to happen to people with ADHD, putting them at higher risk for economic instability.

In addition to helping her with her professional life, she uses ChatGPT to help her with grocery shopping – another task that can be difficult for people with ADHD because of the organizational and planning skills required – by asking her to brainstorm easy-to-prepare recipes with a corresponding shopping list.

When she shared her technique with another mom who also has ADHD, she felt more people needed to know about it, so she started creating videos on TikTok about the different AI tools she uses to help her manage her ADHD struggles.

“That’s when I thought, ‘You know what? I have to educate people,’” she said.

Generative AI tools can help people with ADHD break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Chatbots can offer specific advice and make it seem like you’re talking to a human. Some AI applications can also help with reminder management and productivity.

Software engineer Bram de Buyser said he created Goblin.tools with his neurodivergent friends in mind. Its most popular feature is “magic task,” where a user can type in a task and the bot will provide them with a list of tasks to do. It can even break down the items on the list into smaller tasks.

"I'm not trying to create a cure," he said, "but something that helps them for two minutes of the day that would otherwise cause them problems."

What kinds of problems could the apps create? Russell Fulmer, a professor at Husson University, describes the research on AI and ADHD as “inconclusive.” While experts say they see how artificial intelligence could positively impact the lives of people with anxiety and ADHD, Fulmer said it might not work perfectly for everyone, such as people of color with ADHD.

He highlighted the chatbots' responses that have sometimes been racist and biased.

Valese Jones, a publicist and founder of Sincerely Nicole Media, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and uses AI bots to help her read and respond to emails and proofread PR plans. But her responses don’t always reflect who she really is.

“I’m Southern, so I speak like a Southerner. There are cadences in my writing that convey the fact that I’m Southern, and that’s on purpose,” said Jones, who is black. “It doesn’t capture the tone of black women, and if you say, ‘Say it like an African-American,’ that automatically translates to speaking like an African-American. ‘Malibu’s Most Wanted.’”

De Buyser said that while he sees a future where AI chatbots function more like personal assistants that is “never tired, never sleeps,” that could also have privacy implications.

"If you say, 'Oh, I want an AI that gives me personal information and checks my calendar' and all that, you're giving this big company access to your email, your calendar, your personal correspondence, basically your deepest, darkest secrets, just so they can give you something useful in return," he warned.