The Japanese Ministry of Health has decided to test whether artificial intelligence can prevent suicide among schoolchildren. The pilot project will begin in fiscal year 2027 with private organizations performing social media consulting.

The Japanese Ministry of Health has decided to test whether artificial intelligence can prevent suicide among schoolchildren. The pilot project will begin in fiscal year 2027 with private organizations performing social media consulting.

AI will partially respond to users in chats instead of live advisors. People will be told directly that they are communicating with an algorithm. The authorities want to assess both the benefits and the risks: the online format reduces the barrier to seeking help, but there have already been lawsuits abroad after the suicides of young people who consulted AI.

Why it matters: In fiscal year 2024, almost 337 thousand consultations were held on social networks, 44% of the applicants were under the age of 19. The overall number of suicides in Japan is declining, but among school students there was a post-war record of about 540 cases. The department started prevention in social networks back in 2018 after the tragedy with the online suicide club.

The main question is whether the algorithm will be able to accurately identify alarms and transfer critical cases to live experts. In addition, protection of minors' data and confidentiality in chats where highly sensitive topics are discussed.

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