AI‐Caramba: The Experience of Mothers in Central Texas With BRAT, a Parenting AI Chatbot

ABSTRACT

Virtual parent training interventions (PTIs) have successfully addressed classic participation barriers for over a decade. Regardless, most limit themselves to deliver the in‐person manual and fail to leverage virtual innovation tools like chatbots. This exploratory study examined the experiences of mothers of 11‐ to 16‐year‐olds interacting with BRAT (i.e., Boundaries, Resilience and Affection Training), an AI‐driven text‐based chatbot simulating child and adolescent responses that also provides PLH and CAPAS‐based insights for common parenting scenarios. Fifteen Hispanic mothers ( x̄  = 44.53 years of age, s  = 9.45) from Central Texas participated in a virtual session featuring three scenarios: homework resistance, excessive screen time and disrespectful behaviour. They were then interviewed about their experience. Content analysis revealed four themes: (1) scenario realism and response accuracy, (2) insights and self‐reflection, (3) potential uses and promising avenues and (4) shortcomings. Mothers described BRAT's responses as accurate, often eliciting emotional reactions through idioms and argumentative styles typical of youth. Insights prompted self‐reflection on communication patterns and strategies for supporting youth mental health. Participants viewed BRAT as a promising treatment enhancement tool. Findings underscore BRAT's acceptability and potential to enhance PTIs by reducing burden, tailoring content, increasing engagement and improving scalability.