TechCrunch's own title is better here. The only "sign of suicide" comes after the fact. Detecting "suicidal posts", as in the original title, is more useful however.
Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
101–110 of 160 posts
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#102This may or may not be a useful technology, but the fact that Facebook thinks they have the ability and the right to diagnose their users with mental illnesses is disturbing. They have more information about their users than psychologists have about their patients. They can (and do) build a psychological profile and diagnose mental illness. Yet rather than keeping this information in the closest confidence, they sell…
Even more, we've seen articles which pointed out how using Facebook makes people more depressed and doesn't help with isolation, and loneliness. So in a terribly ironic way, Facebook is making them depressed, but then it doesn't want to them to die because there's nobody left to lick the "Like" button, so it deploys AI doctors to diagnose and prevent suicide from happening.
This is really accurate. Keeping people depressed and addicted works for Facebook, in the alcohol industry, food, gambling and so on.
And now a company with extremely powerful AI capabilities want to fine-tune the addiction algorithm to maximize profits.
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#103What right do they have to stop someone from committing suicide?
Generally suicide is treated as a crime, and can result in someone being involuntarily held for long periods of time, perhaps even forced to take psychotropic drugs. They spin this as "saving lives" but really this bottoms out in people getting harassed by police or potentially locked up for daring to post anything about suicide in or around Facebook (which is increasingly the entire web).
And honestly, if someone wants to commit suicide then Facebook of all "people" has no fucking business trying to stop them.
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#104Please permit me to play the pessimistic man on the street: If Facebook can deploy AI to detect the early signs of suicide, why can't they deploy AI to detect "fake news" or those susceptible to "fake news"? Furthermore, "cui bono" (for whose benefit [0])? What does Facebook gain from being able perform this sort of detection given it is a for-profit corporation and not a non-profit philanthropic organization? An asi…
Al Franken asked that question (at least a version of it).
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#105I recognize that this will not be a popular thing to ask, especially to people who have been affected personally by the suicide of a loved one (I have and it hurts, RIP Braden), but do people not have a right to their own life? Do they not own their bodies, which as much as it sucks, includes the right to destroy it? If somebody really wants out, is it ethical for us to trap them inside?
Personally, I find the idea of "future selves" separate from your current personal identity a compelling enough idea that I think I at least owe them a chance at life even if I theoretically may have a right to take my own right now.
So, killing yourself to me is only justifiable in situations where you'd be justified in killing somebody else. Sacrificing yourself to defend somebody else could be thought of the same as killing in self-defense, euthanasia is justified, etc.
This isn't at all to push blame on those who consider suicide or have gone through with it, or to completely abandon the idea of a continuous identity, just a perspective that once I adopted I couldn't shake.
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#106Partially reposting this reddit comment to prevent Werner syndrome (https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/7026o9/suicide_att...)
If you are having thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or painful emotions that can result in damaging outbursts, please dial one of these number below for help!
International Hotline Lists
https://www.facebook.com/help/103883219702654
http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
U.S.
Suicide Crisis Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Cutting: 1-800-366-8288
Substance Abuse: 1-877-726-4727
Domestic Abuse: 1-800-799-7233
Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696
LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Textline: Text "start" to 741-741
Human trafficking: 1-(888)-373-7888
Trevor Project (LGBTQ sexuality support): 1-866-488-7386
Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743
Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438
Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673
Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272
Runaway: National Runaway Safeline 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929)
Exhale: Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253
International Hotline List:
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#107There's a lot of pessimism in the comments. I believe this is one of the best uses for an AI that we've come up with. First, let's go into the details: 1. They only monitor and elevate to moderators content from posts and Facebook live. 2. Moderators can then take action, and reports from this system are prioritized over other non-pressing issues. The actual life saving chances of this system are huge. Just from a pu…
I help to run a suicide/depression support group on FB and I do not at all trust FB as a corporation to do a good job on this. Having had friends who've been involuntarily hospitalized and all that goes with that I'm extremely skeptical that this will turn out well.
'But it might save lives!' is true, but it might also wreck lives by institutionalizing people that thought they were venting their feelings to a trusted circle of friends in a private context. (Don't start with 'nothing is private on FB' please.)
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
Doea medical data not talked about in a medical setting trigger HIPAA? (Like me talking that I'm type 2 diabetic?)
Probably.. any disclosure could potentially be regulated. This is a company creating a health care profile of you (possibly without your consent) and potentially sharing that information of you (without your consent or release) to other entities.. so maybe? I bet there will be several lawsuits to clarify things.
Unequivocally not. Posting to Facebook is a public disclosure Health data: no one, including your own physician, is obligated to protect that which you opt to publicly disclose.
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#109> Over the past month of testing, Facebook has initiated more than 100 “wellness checks” with first-responders visiting affected users. “There have been cases where the first-responder has arrived and the person is still broadcasting.” It's important to note here that "first-responder" here means police; because suicide tends to either be a crime, or something for which police can legally take you into custody for. R…
It's worth pointing out that police have turned up for wellness checks and ended up killing people. As this example shows, police are increasingly tasked with responding to mental health emergencies despite being poorly trained and situated to do so:
http://www.dailycal.org/2017/10/20/judge-indefinitely-postpo...
Re: Facebook deploys AI for early signs of suicide
#110What right do they have to stop someone from committing suicide? Generally suicide is treated as a crime, and can result in someone being involuntarily held for long periods of time, perhaps even forced to take psychotropic drugs. They spin this as "saving lives" but really this bottoms out in people getting harassed by police or potentially locked up for daring to post anything about suicide in or around Facebook (w…
I think if my son was considering suicide, I would want to be given a warning or indicator to at least attempt to intercede.
At the same time, I absolutely wouldn't want a bunch of companies to target him with suggestive messages exploiting his mental state.