Revolutionizing sex education for Gen-Z

Despite all the progress humanity has made, sex remains a taboo subject worldwide. In many European countries, sex education still follows a very traditional and heteronormative perspective that does not encompass diversity. The lack of representation and inclusivity on topics such as gender roles, LGBTQI+ youth, consent, and online media makes education less attractive for children and young people, highlighting the need for better alternatives. As an innovative solution, Alexbot is an AI-powered chatbot that makes sex education more approachable for Gen-Z.

Funded by the European Union, Alexbot is an ongoing project developed by a consortium of five organizations from different countries, including Belgium, Slovenia, and Hungary. To understand its potential impacts on sex education, I spoke to Bojana Vulicevic, project coordinator at the education center Logopsycom which leads the project.

The idea of creating an innovative sex education tool to attract and communicate with young people is not an easy task. According to Vulicevic, one of their main concerns while developing the project was to deliver a judgment-free zone, "where young people feel secure enough to discuss what they want."

Shaped by the digital age, Gen-Z teenagers are constantly online. When they have any questions related to sex, their automatic response is to google it. However, Vulicevic explains: "This is a huge danger because there is so much misinformation on the internet, especially on social media platforms". Hence, Alexbot is a safe alternative, offering "scientifically accurate information curated by experts and professionals."

How it works:

Alex is an interactive chatbot that addresses topics involving sex and reproductive health, targeting young people. Through a keyword recognition feature, the chat can identify the overall subject of the conversation and suggest specific content. For example, if a user is interested in sexual orientation and gender, they can just type a keyword or a question and the bot automatically understands.

"We use a lot of emojis, gifs, and quizzes to make the experience more engaging for them. The idea is to spark their curiosity in a way that they don't feel like we're trying to sell them something," says Vulicevic, highlighting that Alex is a learning-driven tool. "Our focus is to deploy it for educational purposes in a way that is very user-friendly and interactive. That's what makes our chatbot so innovative."

I tested Alex through Instagram messenger and this is how it replied to my prompts related to sexuality:

Sexual orientation refers to a person's emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to:

• people of the opposite gender 👨👩‍🦰(heterosexuality),

• the same gender 🧔‍♂️👨‍🦱(homosexuality), or

• both genders ♀️♂️ (bisexuality).

• 👉 Some people may also identify as asexual, experiencing little or no sexual attraction 🤷

• 👉 Or pansexual, which means being into people, no matter their gender. 🫂

Now at phase one, Alex is being tested, and its English version can already be accessed via website or Instagram. The developing team is currently fixing potential bugs and making the tool available in five other languages, including French, Spanish, Slovenian, Polish, and Hungarian. In the next phase, the AI system will be improved by adding new features like natural language processing. This should be done by March 2025, making the experience more personalized for users.

A holistic approach

As suggested by the WHO, sex education curricula need to move past the biological standpoint and traditional family values. It is important to broaden the conversation to encompass the cognitive, emotional, social, interactive, and physical aspects of sexuality. Based on that, Alexbot delivers a holistic approach to sexual and reproductive health education.

The platform has a non-judgemental tone and language, fostering education that is sex-positive, gender-sensitive, and inclusive. "Sex is not only about having babies," says Vulicevic. Many education professionals talk about sex as something that should be avoided by teenagers. They focus on the reproductive aspect, overlooking topics like sex for pleasure, gender roles in relationships, and sexual identity. By including conversations about gender issues and diversity, Alexbot increases awareness of gender stereotypes while promoting safer and healthier sexual behaviors.

Further, sex education needs to be more relatable to Gen Z youth by incorporating discussion topics that resonate with their experiences. Thus, part of Alex's content focuses on the intersection of the internet and sexual health, including discussions about "the effects of pornography on young people, sexual marketing, and digital influencers."

AI for sex education

For Vulicevic, media literacy is an essential skill that every young person should have, "so they can read about sex, but also understand the source of that information and how it impacts them." Amid the rise of AI chatbots, it is important to learn how to think critically about sex information, especially if these models are used for research purposes.

"AI models do not always provide accurate information", explains Vulicevic, hence the importance of having human-curated content. "Making use of AI is the future of education and not running away from it."

A resource for teachers

Besides the chatbot, Alex also offers resources for youth workers and secondary school teachers. The lack of digital and pedagogical skills can make sex education feel awkward, losing its fundamental purpose. "No one is teaching these education professionals how to approach the subject especially if they need to discuss it with youth that are traditionally underrepresented, like the LGTBQI+ community."

"On our website, there are guides and useful practice sheets that teachers can use in their discussions with students. We want to make sex education approachable for both teachers and students so that sex feels less of a boogeyman."