| Study Title: |
AI and the Depoliticization of Disability Identity |
| Rationale: |
Large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way people find information and community online. Whereas human-centred support systems—which include support groups and live chat services—were built to help people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers find credible information and human support, LLMs such as ChatGPT are increasingly seen as alternative options for that support. MS, however, is a complex, unpredictable illness that affects everyone differently and requires collective support and a lot of nuance to navigate. The research will compare how people living with MS use human support systems versus LLMs, so disability organizations and activists can design more effective human-centred interventions to ensure people with disabilities, such as MS, remain connected to human in-person and virtual community supports. But just as importantly, this research is useful for people with MS who are struggling to navigate an increasingly untrustworthy information landscape in the face of the overwhelming complexity and fluidity of their illness.
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| Study Description: |
This research is being conducted as a partial completion of a degree requirement and will be used for a student’s master’s thesis. To run a comparative study of human versus LLM interactions among people with MS, the researcher will conduct 20 semi-structured interviews with three participant groups:
- people with MS who have used human support systems such as support groups, live chat services, or hotlines to seek information and support,
- people with MS who have used LLMs to seek information and support,
- people with MS who have used both for support.
Participants will be asked to do an interview that will take approximately one hour. This interview will be conducted online via a healthcare regulation compliant version of the video conferencing platform, Zoom. If you use AI to find information about MS, you may be asked to provide some example prompts to the researcher for analysis—but this is not a requirement for participation in the study. There will be compensation in the amount of a $25 virtual Visa gift card for participation. The research has been reviewed and approved by the Toronto Metropolitan University Research Ethics Board, and the Research Ethics Board Reference ID for this study is 2026-041.
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| Recruitment Dates: |
2026-05-18 to 2026-08-31 |
| Who can participate: |
To participate, you need to publicly self-identify as having MS, are 18 years or older, and have used a support group, human-powered chat service, hotline, and/or an LLM to seek information about MS. The study is available in English only.
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| Trial Institution: |
Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Trial Investigator: |
Tiff Regaudie, MA student
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Contact Information: |
tregaudie@torontomu.ca |
| Trial Funding: |
Unfunded |
