A systematic review of 14 studies in youth ages 10-29 found conversational AI, chatbots, mHealth apps, SMS tools, and web platforms were generally feasible and acceptable for HIV prevention and care, with mHealth apps reaching 99.4% ART adherence message fidelity. The review also found chatbot studies reported 79-95% HIV self-test completion, while one pilot RCT showed SMS interventions increased condom-protected sex 1.8x and HIV testing 2.4x, though effectiveness evidence overall remains limited.

Why It Matters To Your Practice

• Young people ages 15-29 account for a substantial share of new HIV infections globally, making scalable digital outreach highly relevant to prevention and care.

• Privacy, anonymity, and youth-centered design emerged as key facilitators of engagement — features clinicians may not be able to replicate consistently in brief in-person visits.

• For practices serving adolescents and young adults, these tools may extend education, testing support, and adherence messaging between visits.

Clinical Implications

• mHealth and SMS tools may be most immediately useful for reinforcing ART adherence, prevention education, and testing reminders rather than replacing clinician counseling.

• Chatbots showed strong feasibility signals, including 79-95% HIV self-test completion in descriptive studies, suggesting a role in guided screening workflows.

• Connectivity problems and unnatural conversation were recurring barriers, so adoption should account for digital access, language, and user experience.

Insights

• This systematic review searched six databases from 2016-2025 and included 14 eligible studies assessed with MMAT and Cochrane RoB 2.0.

• Studies were conducted mainly in the U.S. (n=6) and Sub-Saharan Africa (n=6), using AI chatbots (n=4), mHealth apps (n=3), SMS interventions (n=3), web-based platforms (n=2), and multi-component interventions (n=2).

• The evidence base is still early: only one large RCT demonstrated impact on a biomedical outcome, underscoring the gap between engagement metrics and proven clinical benefit.

The Bottom Line

• AI-enabled and mobile HIV tools for youth look promising for reach, acceptability, and workflow support — but not yet enough for broad claims of clinical effectiveness.

• For now, clinicians should view them as adjuncts that may improve engagement and adherence processes while awaiting stronger trial data.