Development of an AI-enabled Behavioral and Community Health Engagement Device: Applications Across Diverse Populations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly adopted in behavioral and community engagement initiatives across populations, private industries, and public sectors. As costs continue to decline, the integration of AI into health engagement devices presents significant opportunities to enhance both behavioral and community health outcomes. This study proposes a flexible conceptual framework to guide the development of an AI-enabled device intended to support diverse populations, facilitate patient engagement, and strengthen community health initiatives. It identifies major components of the device’s architectural design and outlines strategies for assessing usability and feasibility. Guided by a customer discovery approach, qualitative findings reveal users’ perceptions of both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI-enabled behavioral and community health engagement. The results offer directions for further research and propose benchmark metrics to evaluate the device’s performance during future development. In conclusion, this study highlights anticipated challenges and outlines next steps for advancing research and development efforts.