Since the start of 2021, The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people, has used an AI technology called the Crisis Contact Simulator to train its counselors on how to talk to in-crisis youth. The tool essentially simulates what a conversation like that may look like with the help of AI chatbots. At launch, the CCS came with access to one such "persona." Today, The Trevor Project is adding a second one called Drew. The new chatbot represents a fictional youth in their early 20s who lives in California and faces bullying and harassment. Since implementing its first persona, the aptly named Trevor, in February, the organization says the technology has helped train more than 1,000 counselors.

Suicide prevention is getting a boost from artificial intelligence. The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, has launched a "Crisis Contact Simulator" to help train counselors and prepare them to support youth in crisis. Developed in collaboration with Google, the first-of-its-kind technology is an AI-powered counselor training tool that simulates digital conversations and allows trainees to practice realistic conversations with youth personas. "Riley," the organization's first Crisis Contact Simulator persona, emulates messages from a teen in North Carolina who feels anxious and depressed. In addition to Riley, the organization is currently developing a variety of personas that represent a wide range of life situations, backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and risk levels.