AI tool can help improve the quality of counseling 113

The Helpline 113 allows people with suicidal thoughts to express their feelings and concerns anonymously, with the ultimate goal of preventing suicide. In 2023, almost 185,000 calls were made via phone and chat, 21.5% more than the previous year. 113 is constantly looking for new ways to improve its services.

For his PhD, Salim Salmi worked on a tool that uses artificial intelligence to analyze online chats and then advises the advisor how to continue the conversation. But such a tool must “know” which conversations are effective and which are not. This was one of the key questions in Salmi’s research, and also a big challenge: “We have a lot of text data, but we can’t link it to results. Because people contact us anonymously, you don’t know how they feel. After the conversation, I asked them to fill out a pre-interview and post-interview questionnaire?

By collecting such data for years, a picture has emerged of which interviews lead to a “good” outcome and which do not. Using this information, Salmi trained an AI model to learn which parts of the interview improved or deteriorated. He designed the model so that he could look back and see what sentences the model considered normative for the outcome of a conversation.

Digital assistant

The next step was to develop a digital assistant that can make suggestions to the advisor during a chat conversation. The model searches its database of successful conversations for texts applicable to the current chat and makes a suggestion. In this way, assistants are shown examples of conversations that have actually taken place and decide for themselves whether to use them.

results

The digital assistant has been extensively tested. First in a group of 24 counselors, then in a randomized trial where 27 counselors received the tool and 21 did not. Salmi: “They decided for themselves when to consult the assistant and what to do with the suggestions.” The results: “Conversations with the AI ​​tool were slightly shorter on average. In terms of self-efficacy—belief in one’s ability to successfully complete a task—counselors reported little difference. They chose to use the AI ​​assistant mainly in difficult situations. conversations where they didn’t know how to reach that person.”

The next step is to extend the model from chat to phone calls. Now that his PhD research is complete, Salmi is embarking on a new project: integrating his tool into the platform people use to call for help on 113.