AI Helps Identify People at Risk for Suicide

Technology from Facebook, Cogito and others shows promise, but critics raise privacy concerns

Aili McConnon

Feb. 23, 2018 10:47 a.m. ET

In late January, a 60-year-old woman in northern Argentina posted on Facebook: “This can’t go on. From here I say goodbye.”

Within three hours, a medical team reached the woman and saved her life—thanks in part to advances in artificial intelligence.

The post caught the attention of Facebook’s AI system, which is programmed to spot potential...