AI chatbot takes on smoking: new study tests digital quit coach
NCT ID NCT07649044
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 01, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a smart chatbot can help adults quit smoking as effectively as human support. About 1,000 smokers in Hong Kong will use a WhatsApp chatbot for 12 weeks, receiving personalized advice and encouragement. The goal is to see if the chatbot can boost quit rates and make support more accessible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 998 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Hong Kong residents aged 18 years or above 2. Smoke at least one cigarette (including heated tobacco products) per day or use an e-cigarette daily in the preceding 3 months 3. Able to communicate in Cantonese (including reading and writing Chinese) 4. Saliva cotinine level ≥30 ng/mL 5. Intention to quit or reduce smoking 6. Have WhatsApp installed 7. Able to use WhatsApp for communication Exclusion Criteria: 1. Smokers who have communication barriers (either physical or cognitive) 2. Smokers who are currently participating in other smoking cessation programs or services
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH)
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Texts and wearables team up to help latinos quit smoking and get moving
- Can an AI chatbot help cancer patients kick the habit?
- Does the clock matter? scientists randomize when Quit-Smoking chatbots ping you
- Can a WhatsApp message help smokers quit?
- Can a brain scan tailor TMS to quiet cigarette cravings?
- Practice quitting: a new way to help smokers who Aren't ready to stop?