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Using AI to fight youth gang recruitment

Susanne Nilsson and Rob Comber
Researchers Susanne Nilsson and Rob Comber will use an AI-powered database to help social actors collaborate better and more innovatively. (Photo: Anna Gullers)

AI and humans in focus

Published Oct 01, 2024

Researchers at KTH are using AI to tackle youth gang crime. By bringing together knowledge, contacts, and expertise in a database, they aim to boost cooperation between different societal actors.

About the project

Coordinating Project Partner: Skyddsvärnet
Other Partners: Stadsmissionen, Initcia, Konkret, National Operational Department (NOA), Police Authority, municipalities across Sweden
KTH Contacts:  Rob Comber  and Susanne Nilsson
Project Facts: Funded by Vinnova , the project is part of Vinnova's and AI Sweden’s "Powerhouse for AI in Municipalities and Civil Society." It started in June and will run for 18 months.

Read more about the Vinnova project

We’re all familiar with the headlines by now: gang members are recruiting younger and younger children. This worrying trend has no quick or easy solutions. Yet, many organizations are already involved in trying to address it—the police, schools, social services, NGOs, and authorities like BRÅ and SIS, among others. Each holds valuable knowledge and experience that could prevent young people from ending up in the wrong environment.

Researchers at KTH are now stepping in to contribute. Together with a group of other stakeholders, they are developing a new AI-powered knowledge bank—a digital "super brain" that gathers and synthesizes data and insights from across society, including police reports, schools, youth initiatives, and social services.

“Getting different agencies to collaborate and coordinate activities effectively is a major challenge today. There is a wealth of knowledge, reports, and research on the interventions that can be taken, but they are scattered among various actors and not always easy to access, especially when you come from different professional or organizational backgrounds,” says Susanne Nilsson, researcher in innovation management and collaboration, who is leading the project at KTH along with Rob Comber, associate professor and an expert in technology for civil society.

“The idea is to create a platform that facilitates collaboration across sectors,” explains Rob Comber.

The AI tool will combine different perspectives and resources in ways that haven’t been done before, potentially uncovering patterns that humans often miss.

For instance, when a team of social workers, local police, and school representatives in a municipality needs to determine the best interventions for a child, they could use the database to describe the situation and request suggestions for possible combinations of interventions. Using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, the AI will gather and analyze information from different sources to generate recommendations.

“Our goal is to help local teams find and understand information from various sources, and perhaps inspire some new thinking. We as researchers will also support the development and evaluation of new approaches as different organizations begin using the AI tool,” says Susanne Nilsson.

Naturally, there are challenges to overcome. Data security is of paramount importance. Each organization supplying data is responsible for ensuring that their information is current and free of sensitive personal details.

“The database must also account for the fact that users come from different professions or organizations, which often use different language for the same things. For example, there’s a significant difference between talking about 'pupils' versus 'children,'; whether it’s preschool staff or the police speaking. This affects what information people want and what they get from the tool. Therefore, there needs to be support during prompting so that users receive relevant responses,” says Comber.

Another challenge is skepticism towards AI, adds Susanne Nilsson. “The risks, opportunities, and limitations of the technology will be openly and continuously discussed with all participants.”

“Many people are skeptical about AI in various ways. In this project, we’re learning together, and it’s a privilege to explore this technology with such a diverse group of skills and perspectives.”

And while AI may seem like a cold, technical solution, in this project it has a warm heart – its goal is to protect children and young people.

KTH Joins Government Initiative:

"Engineers are experts in smart processes"

The government’s initiative to create a more efficient collaboration structure, Bob (barn och unga i organiserad brottslighet), aims to prevent children and young people from falling into serious crime. Researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology – Susanne Nilsson, Jens Hemphälä, and Jennie Björk – have been tasked with supporting and facilitating collaboration between authorities, municipalities, civil society organizations, and the private sector, together with Skandia's foundation “Ideas for Life.”

“The focus is on getting people from different sectors to work together. This is where engineering skills like identifying flows and processes can make a real contribution, as well as understanding how systems work and how to create the conditions for new ideas and solutions in cross-disciplinary collaborations,” says Susanne Nilsson.

The work will connect a large number of actors at national, regional, and local levels. The goal is to develop new, efficient processes and methods that these stakeholders can use together. The idea for the AI-powered knowledge database (as mentioned in the adjacent article) originated from this initiative.

In this project, KTH is also working with experts in system design and learning, including Förnyelselabbet, and experts in team development through Konkret.

Read more on regeringen.se (Swe)

Read more on ideerforlivet.se (Swe)

AI and humans in focus

How can AI contribute to people's lives and the development of society? What are the opportunities, challenges and concerns? A series of articles focusing on artificial intelligence and humans presents exciting research from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Neuromorphic computer systems challenge AI technology

How to reduce the energy use of buildings

"An enormous potential - but AI is not always right"

Using AI to fight youth gang recruitment

AI virtual human cells: shaping the future of biology and human health

The ocean's smallest creature is mapped

The enzymes that can reduce emissions

Text: Anna Gullers

Page responsible:redaktion@kth.se
Belongs to: About KTH
Last changed: Oct 01, 2024