When a human spots a familiar face or an oncoming vehicle, it takes the brain a mere 100 milliseconds (about one-tenth of a second) to identify it and more importantly, place it in the right context so it can be understood, and the individual can react accordingly. Unsurprisingly, computers may be able to do this faster, but are they as accurate as humans in the real world? Not always, and that's a problem, according to a study led by Western neuroimaging expert Marieke Mur. Computers can be taught to process incoming data, like observing faces and cars, using artificial intelligence known as deep neural networks or deep learning. This type of machine learning process uses interconnected nodes or neurons in a layered structure that resembles the human brain.

An international team of scientists, including a Western University researcher, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that facilitates more personalized treatments for depression and improves patient outcomes. "Our clinical trial shows that this new method of treatment selection improves the effectiveness of currently available treatments, with a small and affordable increase in overall treatment costs, since it fast-tracks more patients to intensive treatments when they need them," said Shehzad Ali, professor of public health economics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Ali, a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Economics, was the lead health economist and statistician on the study, which was led by the University of Sheffield in the U.K. Current practice for treating depression often involves a stepped care approach. Patients are first offered a low-intensity treatment, such as group therapy, with those who remain unwell later being moved to more intensive, lengthy treatment. The researchers behind the new tool have shown that implementing AI helps patients receive more tailored care to treat their depression much quicker.

The most reliable predictor of a relationship's success is partners' belief that the other person is fully committed, a Western University-led international research team has found. Other important factors in a successful relationship include feeling close to, appreciated by and sexually satisfied with your partner, says the study – the first-ever systematic attempt at using machine-learning algorithms to predict people's relationship satisfaction. "Satisfaction with romantic relationships has important implications for health, wellbeing and work productivity," Western Psychology professor Samantha Joel said. "But research on predictors of relationship quality is often limited in scope and scale, and carried out separately in individual laboratories." The massive machine-learning study, conducted by Joel, Paul Eastwick from University of California, Davis, and 84 other scholars from around the world, delved into more than 11,000 couples and 43 distinct self-reported datasets on romantic couples.

The next generation of leaders will be better armed against unprecedented technical transformation thanks to a new partnership between Western and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) that will establish a program focused on the ethical and social aspects of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), university officials announced today. A $3-million investment by RBC has established The RBC Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Project at Western, an expansion of the university's ongoing cross-disciplinary work in data analytics and AI focused on answering big questions for the good of society. RBC's backing helps take that work to the next level, while training the next generation of experts, explained Western President Alan Shepard. "This investment is a catalyst to help Western provide tomorrow's leaders with the skillset they'll need to navigate a world full of data and find solutions to the challenges they will inevitably face during their careers," Shepard said Thursday. "We're excited to be partnering with RBC to help provide and promote training of 21st-century talent that's not only technically proficient, but also ethically and socially aware."