As anti-abortion mis and disinformation continues to rise on the internet, anti-abortion pregnancy centers now have the opportunity to weaponize generative artificial intelligence (AI) to do their bidding. AI has already proven challenging in this fraught public health moment, spreading information from untrustworthy sources and actively promoting disinformation campaigns surrounding vaccines. [1] Now, Choose Life Marketing, a company that creates resources for anti-abortion organizations and pregnancy centers, has launched their own AI Chatbot called Olive. [2]

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers oppose abortion, shame those who receive abortion care, or promote so-called alternatives to abortion. Choose Life Marketing appears to be made specifically to allow these centers to use Olive to target people seeking abortions. Their website states the AI will give guidance to “abortion minded women searching for answers” and that Olive “engages like a real person.” This is horrifying, as people seeking accurate information on abortion care are already swimming upstream against the current of anti-abortion disinformation propagated by real people.

AI chatbots can be configured to give out false information [3], and we know that an anti-abortion AI chatbot will not be neutral or educational for those seeking answers. According to an article published by Frontiers of Public Health, “Deliberate manipulation of chatbots can be used to harm states, communities, and health services.” [4] The Olive AI chatbot was made by an anti-abortion marketing company, so one can assume the chatbot has been created for the specific goal and function to dissuade people seeking actual, factual abortion information.

People talking with Olive will also need to worry about their private information being used by the AI. Choose Life Marketing notes that all contact information is stored and saved by Olive. What does this mean for anyone in a state with anti-abortion laws who is seeking to self-manage an abortion or cross states lines to receive abortion care? Is their browsing activity or information such as their IP address, which contains location information, available for Olive to download and store for future use? Will any of that information be handed over to authorities in attempt to prosecute those seeking abortion care in states that ban it? The website does not make the answers to any of these questions clear.

In addition, Choose Life Marketing’s demo request for the AI notes that anti-abortion pregnancy centers will be able to switch between a real-life person who works at the center and Olive as the need arises. It is unclear if users will even be made aware that they are talking with an AI.

Anti-abortion leaders and organizations are continuing to use any and all tools at their disposal in attacking abortion care and those that seek it.  We as abortion advocates must be aware and stay vigilant of these attempts. Learn more about how to spot an anti-abortion pregnancy center by checking out Shireen’s previous blog post or by using our anti-abortion pregnancy database to find and avoid ones near you. Together, we can combat anti-abortion mis and disinformation.

Sources:

1. https://www.bu.edu/ceid/2024/04/25/how-can-we-tackle-ai-fueled-misinformation-and-disinformation-in-public-health/
2. https://www.chooselifemarketing.com/olive/
3. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/its-too-easy-make-ai-chatbots-lie-about-health-information-study-finds-2025-07-01/
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10644115/