Rise of #MeTooBots: Scientists Develop AI to Detect Harassment in Emails
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for chromas:
Rise of #MeTooBots: scientists develop AI to detect harassment in emails:
Artificial intelligence programmers are developing bots that can identify digital bullying and sexual harassment.
Known as "#MeTooBots" after the high-profile movement that arose after allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the bots can monitor and flag communications between colleagues and are being introduced by companies around the world.
Bot-makers say it is not easy to teach computers what harassment looks like, with its linguistic subtleties and grey lines.
[...] The bot uses an algorithm trained to identify potential bullying, including sexual harassment, in company documents, emails and chat. Data is analysed for various indicators that determine how likely it is to be a problem, with anything the AI reads as being potentially problematic then sent to a lawyer or HR manager to investigate.
Exactly what indicators are deemed red flags remains a company secret, but Leib said the bot looked for anomalies in the language, frequency or timing of communication patterns across weeks, while constantly learning how to spot harassment.
Leib believes other industries could also benefit. "There's a lot of interest from clients across sectors such as financial services, pharmaceuticals," he said.
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