arXiv subjects

Kandyce Brennan

Publications and source records attributed to Kandyce Brennan.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

CARE: A Capability-Based Measurement Framework for Reproductive Equity in Human-AI Interaction

Algorithmic systems mediate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information seeking. Standard HCI and AI evaluation centers usability, accuracy, and interaction quality, measures designed to assess task performance and interaction quality at the system level. We introduce CARE, the Capability Approach for Reproductive Equity, a measurement framework for human-AI interaction that adds capability outcomes as a unit of evaluation above task performance. CARE functions in two parts. The Normative Design Lens identifies the resources, conversion factors, capabilities, and functionings a system should support. The Evaluation lens assesses how design features, interaction patterns, and social conditions shape capability outcomes, tradeoffs, and lived experiences in use. We apply CARE to SRH-specific chatbots, general-purpose LLMs, and search engine features in a study with 12 participants, demonstrating that it surfaces capability outcomes standard metrics aggregate away. The same design features expanded capabilities for some users while constraining them for others: source-level organization, response format, tone, and SRH-specific features all shaped which capabilities expanded for which users and in which direction. Participants' professional backgrounds, gender identities, and prior AI familiarity further shaped these effects, producing capability outcomes that usability and accuracy metrics, aggregated across users, would not surface. These findings demonstrate capability outcomes as a measurable unit for human-AI interaction evaluation, extending existing metrics with a capability layer above task performance.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Can LLMs Understand What We Cannot Say? Measuring Multilevel Alignment Through Abortion Stigma Across Cognitive, Interpersonal, and Structural Levels

As Large Language Models (LLMs) increasingly mediate stigmatized health decisions, their capacity to understand complex psychological phenomena remains inadequately assessed. Can LLMs understand what we cannot say? We investigate whether LLMs coherently represent abortion stigma across cognitive, interpersonal, and structural levels. We systematically tested 627 demographically diverse personas across five leading LLMs using the validated Individual Level Abortion Stigma Scale (ILAS), examining representation at cognitive (self-judgment), interpersonal (worries about judgment and isolation), and structural (community condemnation and disclosure patterns) levels. Models fail tests of genuine understanding across all dimensions. They underestimate cognitive stigma while overestimating interpersonal stigma, introduce demographic biases assigning higher stigma to younger, less educated, and non-White personas, and treat secrecy as universal despite 36% of humans reporting openness. Most critically, models produce internal contradictions: they overestimate isolation yet predict isolated individuals are less secretive, revealing incoherent representations. These patterns show current alignment approaches ensure appropriate language but not coherent understanding across levels. This work provides empirical evidence that LLMs lack coherent understanding of psychological constructs operating across multiple dimensions. AI safety in high-stakes contexts demands new approaches to design (multilevel coherence), evaluation (continuous auditing), governance and regulation (mandatory audits, accountability, deployment restrictions), and AI literacy in domains where understanding what people cannot say determines whether support helps or harms.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2025

SARHAchat: An LLM-Based Chatbot for Sexual and Reproductive Health Counseling

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) shows promise in healthcare applications, existing conversational systems often falter in complex and sensitive medical domains such as Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH). These systems frequently struggle with hallucination and lack the specialized knowledge required, particularly for sensitive SRH topics. Furthermore, current AI approaches in healthcare tend to prioritize diagnostic capabilities over comprehensive patient care and education. Addressing these gaps, this work at the UNC School of Nursing introduces SARHAchat, a proof-of-concept Large Language Model (LLM)-based chatbot. SARHAchat is designed as a reliable, user-centered system integrating medical expertise with empathetic communication to enhance SRH care delivery. Our evaluation demonstrates SARHAchat's ability to provide accurate and contextually appropriate contraceptive counseling while maintaining a natural conversational flow. The demo is available at https://sarhachat.com/}{https://sarhachat.com/.

cs.CY↗