Overview
Partnered with Cisco’s data science team to develop an AI-powered tool that identifies harmful language patterns in suicide-related media coverage. Research shows that articles containing certain language can trigger contagion effects among vulnerable individuals — this tool helps journalists and editors report responsibly.
Collaboration
- Cisco — Data science team led by Shanthi Iyer (VP of Data & Analytics)
- The Erika Legacy Foundation — Mental health advocacy partner
- World Health Organization — Expert guidance on reporting guidelines
Technical Approach
Built using machine learning and natural language processing to analyze article text in real-time, flagging language patterns that deviate from WHO-recommended reporting guidelines.
Publication
“Reducing suicide contagion effect by detecting sentences from media reports with explicit methods of suicide” Gerani S, Tissot R, Ying A, Redmon J, Rimando A, Hun R IJCAI 2021 Workshop on AI for Social Good
Recognition
This project was awarded the Data Science Award, presented by Andrew Ng.