Artificial intelligence is here—it’s in our phones, our newsfeeds, and even our classrooms. AI comes with questions about our job security, curiosity for progress in technology, and uncertainty about the future.
Relationship status: it’s complicated. But nothing we can’t work through!
This Sexual Health Week, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is kicking off our annual SexPlus campaign by exploring sexual health + artificial intelligence.
Together, we can challenge barriers to information and create space so everyone can ask more, learn more, and know more about how AI will impact our health, our rights, and our futures. Let's dial in!
Hey chat, what's up with AI and sexual health information?
- Privacy and consent are key components of sexual health and healthcare. But AI companies don’t care about our privacy. In fact, they need our information (our data!) to grow their programs, algorithms, and profits.
- Chatbots are the face of the AI boom, and 2 billion people used them every week in 2025. It's fast and easy to ask an AI chatbot a quick question about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the difference between birth control options, or even ask for advice on how to have "the talk" with your kids. Every time we type personal information into a chatbot, that information is collected—and AI companies can do whatever they want with it.
- Did you know that some chatbots only give accurate answers about sexual health 64% of the time?
- Check out our fact sheet on Chatbots + Sexual Health to uncover truths and get the tools you need to ensure you’re finding accurate information about your sexual health and rights!
Who controls what we see online about "seggsual" health?
- Tech bro billionaires control what we see online. They decide where AI gets inserted into our devices, how chatbots are trained, what comes up first in our feeds, what words or topics are suppressed or shadow-banned (hidden), and promote the posts that get the most clicks—yep, that means rage-bait, misinformation, and AI-generated content.
- It’s not surprising that sexual health content is often flagged, hidden, or banned, even when it’s simply accurate health information. This means we have to compete with AI content and “work around” the algorithm by using words like seggsual health or ab0rti0n, just to talk about essential healthcare.
- As the internet becomes more complicated, it’s more important than ever to know how to find accurate information about sexual health. If you’re not sure about something you read online, try checking in with a trusted sexual health resource, like Action Canada’s Sexual Health Hub, your nearest sexual health clinic or resource centre, or even your local library.
Let's zoom out: what does AI mean for our sexual health and rights?
- Okay, let’s hash this out together. AI is a booming industry, and it is important for us to adapt to new technologies. But we can’t ignore that private tech companies are raking in profit and power while classrooms are overflowing, families are struggling to pay bills, and our healthcare systems are under pressure.
- Our sexual health and rights rely on access to healthcare, education, and information. These are the things that make sure we can make decisions about our bodies, our families, and our futures. These are the systems that make our communities strong and healthy!
- In Canada, one way we can defend ourselves against misinformation is a national approach to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). This would ensure that all young people have accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality and their sexual and reproductive health, which is critical for their health and survival.
- So while we learn how to use, criticize, and adapt to AI, we're keeping both eyes on the bigger picture. With tech billionaires controlling our access to information, it’s more important than ever to protect our healthcare, our education, and our person-to-person relationships in all aspects of our sexual health and rights.
What's the future of tech for sexual health?
- Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are lot of exciting opportunities for the future of tech and sexual health! In fact, it’s important that we don’t get stuck in the past and that we think creatively about what the future can look like.
- New technologies are making it easier to access sexual and reproductive health care, like at-home STI testing, virtual care options, and (maybe someday soon) male birth control. And progressive tech leaders will be vital partners in navigating our changing digital landscapes!
At Action Canada, the conversation about sexual health and AI will continue long past SexPlus. We will keep fighting for a national approach to CSE, pushing our government to seriously consider the risks of AI, working with our youth advisory board and community partners, and developing policy recommendations that imagine a just and healthy future for everyone.
In the meantime, we all have a role to play: as individuals, as partners, and as parents. By developing the skills to think critically about AI, knowing where to turn for trusted resources, and talking openly about sexual health, we’re protecting sexual health rights for ourselves and the next generations.
As our online and offline worlds get even more complicated, it's more important than ever to protect our access to information, to healthcare, and to education. Our rights, our health, and our futures depend on it.
Here are four easy things you can do right now to protect sexual health in the age of AI:
- Test your knowledge about AI and sexual health by taking the SexPlus Trivia Challenge!
- Talk to your friends or family about how they are using AI in their everyday lives.
- Follow Action Canada on social media and join our newsletter to stay updated on how you can support our movement for sexual health and rights.
- Explore resources, events, and partnerships below!
SexPlus: Sexual Health Week Resources
Sexual Health Information
Taking place during Sexual Health Week, SexPlus is Action Canada's flagship campaign to spark conversations, challenge misinformation, and create space for asking more, learning more, and knowing more about sexual health.
Building on over 20 years of public awareness, SexPlus asks Canadians to get curious, celebrate, and protect our sexual health and rights.
