AI influencer tackles TikTok health trend

Alderley Park, Cheshire, UK – 10th June 2023 Contraceptive pill brand, Lovima® has created an AI influencer to help educate young women about hormonal contraception in response to the latest TikTok health trend.

#gettingoffbirthcontrol has over nine million views on TikTok, and with many influencers getting in on the action, it doesn’t look like a trend that will be going away anytime soon. But with over six million prescriptions written for hormonal contraception each year in England alone, could this trend trigger a rise in unplanned pregnancies? 

Over the counter contraceptive pill brand, Lovima® certainly think so, as their founder and CEO, Anna Maxwell, explains “TikTok and other social media channels are proving to be invaluable in raising awareness, breaking taboos, and making contraception an accessible topic. BUT we must be mindful of causing unwarranted anxiety around hormonal contraception. Over half of pregnancies in the UK each year are unplanned, and with abortion rates on the rise, we need to ensure women have access to all the information they need to make an informed decision about their contraceptive options.”

The #gettingoffbirthcontrol campaign was initially driven by health and lifestyle influencers but has been adopted by many other TikTok users who have fled to the channel to share their experiences of the side effects caused by birth control pills.

As a medicine brand, Lovima® is heavily regulated, and the use of influencers in their advertising and communications is not allowed, but that hasn’t stopped them from finding a unique way to join the conversation. “Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, so we wanted to see how we could use it as a force for good by balancing the lived experiences of those using hormonal contraception with clinical statistical data. We created ‘Lovi’ an avatar brought to life using generative AI, that we hope will bring factual, informative, and trustworthy content to provide context around some of the most common side effects.” Explains Kim Wathall, Lovima’s Senior Brand Manager.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeQD0AgWX2w (404)

Lovi’s physical features, voice, and content are all created using a range of AI tools, then checked and validated using reputable medical sources to ensure content is true and accurate. “AI is an amazing concept and one that I am sure will have an interesting role to play in the future of healthcare, however currently, it’s not quite where we need it to be in terms of factual reliability. Generative AI tools pull their content from a range of sources, so we must use it with caution. People that are engaging in Lovi’s content can be assured that the information is factually correct, and references are available for any of the content by request.” Adds Ms Wathall.

Clare Murphy, CEO of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) welcomed Lovima’s approach to delivering informative content about hormonal contraception, she said: “Women’s concerns about side effects need to be taken seriously, and hormonal contraception is not for everyone. We really do need more research to better understand those effects, as well as investment in the development of a wider range of methods. However we can’t forget that the pill has been a brilliant invention, it has helped many women avoid unplanned pregnancy and has made a huge contribution to the advancement of women’s health. Social media is an important source of news and information, so it’s great to see Lovima sharing facts and data in a way that will engage audiences.” ​