AI Is Turning Social Media Into the Next Frontier for Suicide Prevention

“We stumbled upon your post…and it looks like you are going through some challenging times,” the message begins. “We are here to share with you materials and resources that might bring you some comfort.” Links to suicide help lines, a 24/7 chat service, and stories of people who overcame mental-health crises follow. “Sending you a virtual hug,” the message concludes. This note, sent as a private message on Reddit by the artificial-intelligence (AI) company Samurai Labs, represents what some researchers say is a promising tool to fight the suicide epidemic in the U.S., which claims almost 50,000 lives a year. Companies like Samurai are using AI to analyze social media posts for signs of suicidal intent, then intervene through strategies like the direct message. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] There is a certain irony to harnessing social media for suicide prevention, since it’s often blamed for the mental-health and suicide crisis in the U.S., particularly among children and teenagers. But some researchers believe there is real promise in going straight to the source to “detect those in distress in real-time and break through millions of pieces of content,” says Samurai co-founder Patrycja Tempska. Samurai is not the only company using AI to find and reach at-risk people. The company Sentinet says its AI model each day flags more than 400 social media posts that imply suicidal intent. And Meta,...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news