New ‘WhistleBot’ joins the fight against doping in sport

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the University of Lincoln have today announced the launch of the world’s first chatbot designed specifically for providing guidance on reporting doping in sport.  

The innovative new support tool, named WhistleBot, is part of UKAD’s Protect Your Sport initiative which aims to encourage people to report their suspicions of doping via text, WhatsApp, email, hotline, or an online form.  

The anti-doping organisation launches the artificial intelligence (AI)-based support tool after commissioning research that surveyed 167 athletes and support personnel on the barriers to reporting doping. Results showed many faced uncertainties on what or how to report and fear of their identity being revealed. 

To tackle some of these barriers, and to safeguard against potentially unreliable information that may be provided by other generative AI tools available on the internet, UKAD’s WhistleBot responds with tailored replies to offer users access to accurate information about the reporting process, provides encouragement to promote whistleblowing behaviour and helps support the decision to report suspicions of doping. Simple, straightforward messages help ease common fears about sharing personal details, giving users confidence that they can report something while their identity remains protected. 

Mario Theophanous, UKAD’s Head of Intelligence and Investigations, said: “This chatbot is another way to help empower individuals to come forward with valuable information about sport, whilst safeguarding confidentiality. Year on year we are seeing consistently high numbers of people reporting their suspicions of doping to UKAD, which shows attitudes to reporting are changing for the better, however we know there is still more we can do. 

“WhistleBot will help people to understand how UKAD handles whistleblowing reports and what our process looks like, while the actual reporting still happens through our established channels. It is always a team effort to protect the integrity of sport – we need people to feel comfortable coming forward with information. The collaboration between UKAD and the University of Lincoln has been extremely valuable in helping us address the barriers to reporting identified through our research. This is just the first phase of WhistleBot that we are launching and we hope to continue to develop it over time, making it an evolving and impactful tool for the sporting community to utilise.” 

Professor Lambros Lazuras from the University of Lincoln and Richard Moore, an expert in applying conversational AI in social research, engaged with anti-doping experts, athletes and athlete support personnel in the development of WhistleBot. Evaluation of the prototype chatbot proved effective in addressing some of the key barriers raised in the research, with more than half of users who tested it saying they would feel more confident making a report after having used it. 

Professor Lambros Lazuras, said: “Project WhistleBot combines novel behaviour change research with AI to develop the world’s first AI-based support tool for whistleblowing against doping. Working closely with UKAD, athletes and athlete support personnel from across the country, our research team at the University of Lincoln mapped the barriers and enabling factors of whistleblowing behaviour, and utilised rigorous participatory research methods to co-develop the tool with end-users.  

“Athletes and support personnel who tested the tool said they felt confident and willing to use the tool as an aid for making a doping misconduct report in the future. We are now working with UKAD to publish the results from our study in a scientific journal hoping to inspire further research in this area and boost awareness of the value of digital innovations in supporting anti-doping efforts.”  

WhistleBot can be accessed on UKAD’s Protect Your Sport webpage. Read the full research report. 

Reports about doping suspicions can be made anonymously via WhatsApp or text (07822 023233), email (pys@reportdoping.com), online (search: Protect Your Sport), or by phone (0800 032 2332).