Artificial Intelligence Used To Predict Loneliness In Senior Citizens

Researchers at the University of California and IBM have used machine learning and natural language ... [ ] processing to predict loneliness in senior citizens in San Diego County, California. Researchers have used artificial intelligence to accurately predict loneliness in residents at a senior housing community in San Diego. Publishing in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers were able to harness natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to classify the sentiment and emotions of speech. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic is forcing people to remain in social isolation, the study by researchers from the University of California, IBM and elsewhere could prove vital in helping society assess and address widespread loneliness. However, while technology is providing ever-more powerful means of identifying societal problems such as loneliness, it remains questionable as to whether such problems can be solved by tech alone.