Georgia Tech Researchers Aim to Use Artificial Intelligence to Aid Domestic Abuse Survivors

Georgia Tech researchers are working to create a new software tool powered by artificial intelligence to address the under-researched area of digital security and domestic abuse. These areas frequently overlap with abusers often using the internet and mobile technology to extend the reach of their abuse.

By building on developments recently made in cognitive security, principal research scientist Courtney Crooks and graduate student Sneha Talwalkar are working to bring relief to survivors of domestic abuse. To get what they want, abusers try to change their victim’s state of mind through cognitive manipulation and use different tactics to do so. Crooks decided to explore ways to help domestic survivors counteract these enhanced technology-enabled cognitive security risks as they progressed through their recovery.

The software Crooks and Talwalkar are working to develop would alert survivors to these potential or observed abuses by leveraging well-known, developmentally appropriate, psychologically based learning strategies. The tool will focus solely on the unique risks faced by domestic abuse survivors.

“It’s important to understand that abusive relationships are complicated. While some people can escape them, many can’t,” said Crooks. “Or they may physically escape, but resources like their phones, online accounts, or finances may still be vulnerable to their abusers. Survivors may also need to continue to communicate with their abuser, like in instances in which they share children.” Regardless of circumstances, it is often difficult for survivors to stop communicating with their abusers once they escape the relationship.

The AI technologies Crooks and Talwalkar propose will act like a coach, learning from abusive behavior tactics and potential survivor responses. The tool will then make suggestions based on each user’s specific recovery progress and goals while factoring in potential risks. To improve its coaching performance and general knowledge base, the AI will continue to learn from the outcome of each incident survivors face.