More than 32% of participants in a Rutgers study reported using ChatGPT and similar generative AI chatbots to find information about substances and substance use, according to a survey published in JMIR Formative Research. The finding suggests that a substantial share of young adults in the United States now treats conversational AI tools as a source of drug- and alcohol-related information, a development the researchers described as concerning because chatbots can reproduce misinformation.
The study, led by Mireia Triguero Roura, a postdoctoral researcher with the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, drew on survey responses from nearly 1,000 participants. The researchers examined how frequently people turn to generative artificial intelligence for substance-related information, who is most likely to do so, and what those users think about the results the technology produces.
Generative AI is a subfield of artificial intelligence that creates synthetic content in response to user prompts. The Rutgers team focused on this category of tools because recent survey data shows that 66% of young adults use AI to search for information and to get medical advice, among other purposes. The investigators aimed to better understand how young adults use AI specifically to get information about substances and substance use.
The study found that 1 in 3 people ages 18 to 29 use AI for substance use–related information, primarily seeking information on risks and consequences. Researchers said their findings were concerning, considering AI chatbots can reproduce misinformation. “Using these tools can lead to misinformed or otherwise risky substance-use behavior among young people, who are the age group most affected by adverse effects of substance use,” said Triguero Roura, the study’s lead author.
The survey also captured how often this behavior occurs. About half of the respondents who use AI for substance use–related information reported doing so on at least a monthly basis, indicating that for many young users the tools are a recurring rather than one-off source of information about drugs and alcohol.
The study was coauthored by Pia M. Mauro, an associate professor at the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science and Rutgers School of Public Health. Beyond frequency of use, the analysis found that Black and male participants were more likely to use AI for substance use–related purposes, a pattern the researchers flagged as a notable disparity in who relies on these tools for drug-related inquiries.
“The observed disparities in who chooses to use AI for drug-related inquiries could reflect differences in healthcare access, stigma, trust, and health information-seeking behaviors,” said Triguero Roura. The researchers offered this as a possible explanation for the demographic differences, framing it as an interpretation to be tested in further work rather than a demonstrated cause.
The researchers also analyzed respondents’ feelings toward AI, reporting that young adults in the study perceived high levels of trust, reliability and helpfulness of AI tools. That combination of high trust and frequent use, set against the possibility that chatbots can reproduce misinformation, underlies the concern the authors expressed about the potential consequences for a group already described as the age group most affected by adverse effects of substance use.
As AI continues to shape the substance-use information available to young adults, Triguero Roura and Mauro suggest additional research should explore how young adults interpret and understand the outputs of AI when it relates to drugs and alcohol, as well as the implications of this new source of information on public health. The study, a cross-sectional survey of people aged 18 to 29 in the United States, was published in JMIR Formative Research on 19 October 2026, with no conflicts of interest declared.
Subject of Research: Use of generative AI chatbots for substance-use information among young adults in the United States
Article Title: A third of young adults turn to artificial intelligence for substance-use information
Article References: A third of young adults turn to artificial intelligence for substance-use information. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: Not provided
Keywords: generative AI, ChatGPT, substance use, young adults, Rutgers University, survey research, health information, misinformation, JMIR Formative Research, public health, AI chatbots, health disparities
News Source: Denise Maddox. (October 29, 2026). One in Three Young Adults Ask AI Chatbots About Substance Use, Rutgers Survey Finds. Scienmag.
