Many people are still very wary of artificial intelligence (AI). But, a lot of that comes down to being uneducated as to all the good it can do. Those people tend to concentrate instead on the potential downsides of AI, opposed to what it can do for us here and now. Mark Zuckerberg is hoping to change that stigma by illuminating the fact that AI can save lives, and will do this through an upgraded Facebook.
Thanks to the AI upgrade, the social media site can now detect people expressing suicidal thoughts and can take appropriate steps to try and intervene. Hopefully this will enable those who need help, to get help, fast. “Starting today we’re upgrading our AI tools to identify when someone is expressing thoughts about suicide on Facebook so we can help get them the support they need quickly,” said co-founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. “In the last month alone, these AI tools have helped us connect with first responders quickly more than 100 times.”
How the AI works currently is by using “pattern recognition to identify signals” which are then reported to a team scattered around the world that’s manned 24/7 to ensure people get help as and when they need it, confirms Zuckerberg. “In the future, AI will be able to understand more of the subtle nuances of language, and will be able to identify different issues beyond suicide as well, including quickly spotting more kinds of bullying and hate,” he added.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young people, so for Facebook to try and help tackle this issue is pretty commendable really. “We’re going to keep working closely with out partners at Save.org, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ‘1-800-273-TALK (8255)’, Forefront Suicide Prevent, and with first responders to keep improving,” says Zuckerberg. “If we can use AI to help people be there for their family and friends, that’s an important and positive step forward.”
Just last week, Facebook announced its new digital training and startup training hubs in India. These hubs are there to help people and small businesses expand by offering them the digital skills they need to survive in today’s business world. By 2020, the company’s hoping to have helped more than 500,000 people throughout India via these hubs.
Source Financial Express
