A pilot project uses AI to prevent suicide in the Montreal metro

The Montreal Transportation Society (STM) and researchers from the Center for Suicide Intervention (CRISE) are developing an artificial intelligence system as part of the public transport authority's suicide prevention strategy.

The pilot project will scan closed-circuit television or CCTV cameras in metro stations across the city for warning signs that a person may be in trouble.

“We analyzed the videos of all the people who attempted suicide (on the subway) to see if they had signs that someone might be suffering from depression,” Brian Mishara, CRISE director and co-investigator. STM AI project, said Morning in Montreal hosted by Sean Henry.

“We have some indicators, but a person cannot look at hundreds of screens all day long to detect this behavior,” said Mishara, also a professor of psychology at the University of Quebec-a-Montreal (UQAM).

Once these indicators are recognized by the AI ​​system, immediate steps can be taken to save the person from harming themselves, the system says, not using facial recognition software.

In a statement, the STM told CBC that the system could alert the control room in real time, possibly directly to subway operators, allowing trains to be braked in advance and dispatching special constables to the scene.

“Send someone to the station and go to the person and ask: “Are you okay? Do you need help?' he asks. Mishara said.

Currently, Mishara says, AI can correctly identify one in four people attempting suicide.

Adding barriers to prevent people from jumping off the platform is another idea, but it's an expensive solution, he said, especially as the STM tries to cut costs to balance its budget deficit.

The STM described the AI ​​pilot project to CBC as “promising” and said it hopes to have the system in place in two years.

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It also reinstated its goal of introducing platform screen doors as part of its 2023-2033 plan, with $5 million earmarked for project research.

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