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.
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. Contraceptive choice is unique, everyone is different and will experience different side effects, it can take time, trial and error to find the most suitable option for you.”
TikTok users are not the only ones engaged in the contraception conversation. Davina McCall has turned her attention away from the menopause to review the state of contraception in the UK and the struggle women face to access it. In her latest C4 documentary, ‘The pill revolution’ that aired last night, Davina explored the effects of contraception on women’s mental and physical health, and how some women find it challenging to find the right information when researching their contraceptive options.
The programme also highlighted the challenges of misinformation on TikTok and the use of influencers in promoting natural and digital alternatives to contraception. With over a ¼ of young people using TikTok to access information, more must be done to monitor and control what people are seeing in their feeds. TikTok explained they are working to “…remove harmful medical misinformation and work closely with independent fact-checking partners to assess evolving misinformation trends.”
If you’re taking the contraceptive pill, or considering your contraceptive options, you can follow the facts from Lovi the AI avatar over on Instagram or TikTok by searching @lovimalife, or view all of Lovi’s videos on the Lovima website.
ENDS
For more information, or to interview Anna Maxwell please contact:
Kim Wathall: +44 (0)7467 489350 kim@maxwellia.com