A 72-year-old congressman goes back to school, pursuing a degree in AI

The use of AI technology as a tool within the mental health field is relatively nascent. Though the uses vary, one AI role involves finding common factors or patterns in cases of people who may have attempted or died by suicide or expressed suicidal thoughts. AI then uses that data to create risk profiles that could help clinicians identify which patients may be at higher risk and may need more services, explained Adam Horwitz, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School who specializes in suicide prevention. AI tools are intended to complement, not replace, the work of clinicians who see patients, Horwitz said, and in fact, he noted, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is already deploying the technology.