Photo Credit: Shutterstock Back in November 2017, Facebook announced that it was using artificial intelligence to help flag suicidal users. The tech was used to identify posts, videos and live streams that could be indicative of suicidal thoughts. The algorithm also prioritises the order in which the Facebook team reviews these posts. According to Facebook, these accelerated reports get reported to local authorities twice as fast as unaccelerated ones – which could save many lives. Recently, the Canadian government has also announced its use of AI to help prevent suicides in the nation. It partnered with Advanced Symbolics, an AI firm, which will research and predict suicide rates by analysing Canadian social media posts. The firm aims to predict which areas of Canada could see an increase in suicidal behaviour, after which the government can plan and provide mental health resources, in the right places, at the right times. “To help prevent suicide, develop effective prevention programs and recognize ways to intervene earlier, we must first understand the various patterns and characteristics of suicide-related behaviours"; a Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said to CBC in a statement. "PHAC is exploring ways to pilot a new approach to assist in identifying patterns, based on online data, associated with users who discuss suicide-related behaviours.” AI has tremendous potential in the field of suicide prevention as many people that need help go unnoticed by others. However, there are potential issues that must be taken care of: 1. Safety concerns as AI programs must learn to respond appropriately so as to not worsen suicidal users’ emotional states. 2. Privacy concerns regarding users’ health information. 3. The accuracy of the AIs in determining suicide intent, to list a few. Nonetheless, small steps, like those being taken by Facebook and the Canadian government, will provide valuable insights to improve and advance AI technology. Sources: Tech Crunch CNN Engadget Globalnews
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