Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing 104, 19-35.

Transcranial direct current stimulation has been claimed to enhance learning.Credit: Liz Hafalia/Polaris/eyevine Is there a common element that binds diverse mental abilities, from language to mental arithmetic? Or do these skills compete for our brains' limited resources? In The Genius Within, Dav...

Facebook has rolled out a new technology called "proactive detection" artificial intelligence (AI) that would scan all of a user's posts seeking patterns that suggest suicidal thoughts. Also, if found necessary, it would share helpful information to either the user or his/her friends, or it may get in touch with local first-responders. Responding to a question by website TechCrunch, a Facebook spokesperson said that users cannot opt out of the feature. The spokesperson further said that the new feature is meant to ensure better user safety and the support resources that the social media behemoth is offering could be easily dismissed if the user doesn't wish to check them. Since an AI is expected to sense suicidal patterns faster, Facebook, through its deployment, is hoping to bring down the time taken to provide help to those at risk.

Suicidal individuals can be identified through a new algorithm, according to a new study published Monday. A computer program was created by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh (UP) to become a potential method for diagnosing mental health conditions in the near future. The algorithm proved to be 85 percent accurate in identifying subjects that possessed suicidal tendencies. Researchers analyzed the way suicidal individuals think and feel about life and death through brain scans and artificial intelligence, in a small study published in Nature Human Behaviour. Patterns in the data were examined to see how the participant's brain lit up through a fMRI machine.

Today, approximately 10 percent of the world's population is over the age of 60; by 2050 this proportion will have more than doubled. Moreover, the greatest rate of increase is amongst the "oldest old," people aged 85 and over. While many older adults remain healthy and productive, overall this segment of the population is subject to physical and cognitive impairment at higher rates than younger people. This article surveys new technologies that incorporate artificial intelligence techniques to support older adults and help them cope with the changes of aging, in particular with cognitive decline.