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0:00 Intro

3:09 Session 1: AI ad monitoring

Learn how AI is being used to monitor alcohol ads from Professor Kathryn Backholer of Deakin University, offering the potential for far better monitoring and enforcement.

15:00 Session 2: AI information delivery

Explore the potential for general AI and bots to deliver alcohol information and from Nataly Bovopoulos of Australia’s Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

47:13 Q&A: Join the participant Q&A session

You can also now watch AR2026 Extra sessions on alcohol violence and alcohol’s impact on heart health. ■

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Simon Bratt, a senior lecturer at Liverpool Hope University and author of the Layered Care substack, explains why mental health and alcohol services need to be integrated to be effective in tackling problematic drinking. ■

The UK government said yesterday it “will act where necessary to protect public safety” on alcohol delivery from online platforms.

“I will shortly hold a roundtable jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention to consider solutions with healthcare professionals and experts in the field,” wrote Sarah Jones (pictured below), Minister of State for Policing and Crime, in identical responses to queries from Liberal Democrat MP Ian Roome and Labour MP Peter Prinsley.

“The government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services,” Jones wrote, noting the UK’s current licensing laws date back to 2003. 

The Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office are  together “looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services and monitoring emerging evidence on the impact they may be having on people’s health”, Jones wrote.

Alcohol Change, a UK NGO, recently began a campaign for action to reduce the risks that the home delivery of alcohol poses, especially rapid delivery. CEO Richard Piper outlined the charity’s proposals in an interview last week with Alcohol Review. ■ 

Online alcohol delivery is thought to amplify the already increased risks of drinking alcohol at home. Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, outlines the charity’s campaign for tighter controls, while also reflecting on the UK’s elevated alcohol death toll and new research on alcohol-free drinks. ■

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Higher levels of alcohol consumption are associated with brain diseases and dysfunction, but there is little evidence of what happens at levels commonly thought of as low risk. A paper published this week has looked to narrow this gap with a small-sample study. Alcohol Review caught up with one of the authors, Professor Tim Durazzo of Stanford University. Full paper ■

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Alcohol Review caught up with Professor Evan Wood, one of the authors of a new paper proposing “timesaving and pragmatic approach” to alcohol screening. The five-stage questionnaire hinges on whether someone says they consume more or less than 34ml of alcohol per occasion or per week, or two Canadian standard drinks. Full paper https://www.cmaj.ca/content/198/17/E655/tab-article  ■