This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
As the mental health of U.S. military veterans remains a major concern among many people in our society, new technology could become a lifesaver.
An AI platform developed by ClearForce, a tech company in Vienna, Virginia, aims to identify the risk of suicide among veterans before it’s too late.
Col. Michael Hudson, vice president at ClearForce, spoke to Fox News Digital in an interview to discuss his efforts on the veteran suicide initiative.
Col. Michael Hudson, pictured here, is leading ClearForce’s suicide prevention initiative. He spent 30 years as a U.S. Marine. (ClearForce)
“We’re focused on the veteran, working inside the active-duty space to look at the current model and find ways— using technology we’ve developed — to have better outcomes related to reducing suicide,” he said.
ClearForce is using artificial intelligence “for good” by incorporating a “human into the conversation” instead of relying on generative AI, Hudson explained.
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This data is pulled from decades of evidence and research from agencies such as the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the leading indicators of mental health struggles.
“We tune the model to see those, but we also [use] our machine learning functionality to make sure they understand it’s not just one event,” Hudson said. “It’s a series of events, and it’s a dynamic problem, so it’s never a one and done.”
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As an example, Hudson revealed that financial difficulties, which often lead to homelessness, are a known indicator of the potential risk of suicide.
ClearForce’s AI-driven data is shared with various veterans groups, government agencies and states — which can then act on these early indications within their own communities.
“Anything that uses AI, particularly in the health care and mental health care space, should be treated very carefully and very cautiously.”
“We want to see, essentially, how we can get resources into advocate kits for veterans, so that instead of coming up with an answer at the moment of a mental health crisis, people within that community can respond to much earlier signs,” she said.
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While Blue Star Families as an organization is not using AI to develop its programming, Knight warned that those involved with AI-backed programs proceed with caution.
“There is absolutely no shame in reaching out or asking for help,” she said. “There is still a stigma around it … and we want to essentially normalize that this is a part of health.”
“There is absolutely no shame in reaching out or asking for help.”
The Virginia-based Lyle, whose organization works on suicide prevention among veterans, added that while the possibilities of AI should be embraced, privacy should also be prioritized.
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“We should also ensure that veterans get the final say on their health care options, made in collaboration with their health care providers, who take their unique circumstances into account,” he said.
He added, “It’s the same thing we did while we were serving [in] active duty. If we ran into a problem that was too hard for us to do … we called in supporting fires. So call in those supporting fires, those friends, those family [members]. Stay connected and stay in the fight.”
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ClearForce is currently “prototyping” its AI model with different states, including Virginia, to build out and refine the process.
