1 Assistant Professor,
Department of Social Work, North Eastern Regional Institute of Management,
Guwahati, Assam.
2 Ph.D. Research Scholar,
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, National Institute of
Technology, Meghalaya, 793003
Artificial
intelligence (AI) in social work is a relatively an emerging field of
application. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to completely
transform the way we operate by enabling computer systems to carry out
operations that normally require human intelligence, like reasoning,
problem-solving, experience-based learning, and natural language comprehension.
A
new era of technological transformation is being led by the convergence of
artificial intelligence (AI) and social work, which has the promise of
completely changing the way social services are provided to the most vulnerable
members of society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has great promise for
improving service delivery, efficiency, and providing individualized help to
individuals in need through its predictive analytics, machine learning, and
natural language processing capabilities.
AI's
Possibilities for Intervention in Social Work Profession
The
application of AI to social work opens up a wide range of possibilities to
improve service delivery's accuracy, efficiency, and empathy. Social workers
can offer more individualized, focused, and successful interventions to
vulnerable populations by utilizing AI's capabilities. AI-driven predictive
health monitoring has the potential to completely transform the way we assist
senior citizens who are at risk of health problems. AI algorithms are able to
recognize trends and early warning indications that could point to a possible
health issue by evaluating enormous volumes of data from wearable technology,
medical records, and other sources. This makes it possible for social workers
to actively engage with senior citizens, providing prompt interventions and
support before a crisis arises. The quality of life for senior citizens can be
greatly enhanced by this proactive, data-driven approach, which can also lessen
the strain on healthcare systems.AI-driven treatments for mental health can be
customized to meet the unique requirements of groups. By examining data from
several sources, including self-reported symptoms, therapy session notes, and
biometric data, doctors can use AI algorithms to find trends and distinctive
characteristics that can inform individualized treatment approaches. Social
workers can better help clients, conduct outreach programs to sensitize people
about utility of AI in biomedical domain and achieve better results by
customizing treatments based on recognized patterns that are specific to their needs.
Furthermore, by providing individualized learning experiences that are tailored
to each child's unique needs, AI techniques like as emotion recognition can
greatly enhance educational outcomes for kids on the autistic spectrum. Children
who are neurodivergent frequently have difficulties with communication, social
interactions, and emotional regulation, which impedes their ability to learn
and grow. Nonetheless, social workers and educators can modify their teaching
strategies based on the useful information they obtain about a child's
emotional state by utilizing AI-powered emotion detection software.
Consider
a situation when an AI system notices indicators of frustration or anxiety in a
youngster with autism who is working on a learning activity. The teacher can
then respond by using soothing or responsive mechanisms or by offering further
assistance to help the youngster overcome the obstacle with system indicating
the abnormality signalling towards anxiety or frustration. The AI system may
develop a personalized learning plan that maximizes the child's engagement and
advancement over time by learning about their own habits and preferences. All
children can flourish in educational environments and acquire the skills
necessary for success in life with the support of this customized approach.
These
examples show how incorporating AI into social work has the potential to
revolutionize the way that we empower and assist marginalized communities.
Social workers may offer more accurate, sympathetic, and effective services
that actually improve people's lives by utilizing data and advanced analytics.
Applications
in the contemporary era
The
tremendous impact of AI in social work is demonstrated by the wide range of
fields in which it is applied in practice. One area of success is the
prevention of homelessness. Social workers can identify individuals and
families who are at danger of homelessness by using AI-powered predictive
analytics, which enables them to intervene early and provide tailored support.
In a similar vein, AI may be used to identify possible mental health
emergencies, allowing for preventive interventions and guaranteeing that those
who are at risk receive prompt and efficient assistance.
Ethical
Challenges for the Professionals
The
digital gap, privacy concerns, data accessibility, and ethical conundrums are
some of the obstacles that face incorporating AI in social work, despite its
potential. Protecting privacy, avoiding bias, maintaining human oversight, and
promoting digital literacy among social workers are all necessary for using AI
ethically. The successful deployment of AI depends on addressing these issues
by using transparent and diverse data sets, anonymizing sensitive information,
and retaining the essential human element in all AI implementations.
On
order for social workers to effectively use technology while upholding
professionalism and empathy, they also need to be taught on how to comprehend
and evaluate insights offered by artificial intelligence. To create AI systems
that are moral, objective, and consistent with social work values and human
rights principles, communities, technological engineers, and social work
professionals must work together. In order to provide students with the skills
they need to succeed in tech environments, social work institutions should also
make a greater effort to integrate cutting-edge technology into their
curricula.
AI's
Role in Social Work in the Future
Artificial
Intelligence in Social Work has a bright future. We can anticipate developing more
creative solutions suited to the particular requirements of the communities. Working
together, computer scientists, social workers, and other specialists will be
essential to creating AI systems that are not only cutting edge technologically
but also morally and socially acceptable.
Enhancing
community-based treatments with AI is a promising area of exploration. AI can
analyze data from a variety of sources, including social media, public records,
and community forums, to identify developing societal challenges and guide the
creation of focused solutions. This is done through the use of predictive,
descriptive, and prescriptive analytics in combination. It's like having a
crystal ball when we use AI to measure analytics and algorithms since it lets
us predict the future based on past and present facts. This can be done using
various specialised algorithms contained in subset of AI such as machine
learning and deep learning.
The
exploration of AI’s utility in medical domain has explored multiple avenues in
various dimensions to name a few such as: cancer detection and classification,
brain tumour detection, emotion analysis using various kind of dataset related
to facial and body signals, diabetes detection and type classification. The
major work of a social worker is to reach out to a global community, enlighten
how the role of AI is crucial even in the health domain, and encourage people
to adopt to the new way of treatment platforms. In the modern era, particularly
in the field of computational biology, customized drug is made for patients
suffering from a specific type of disease or disorder and the drug is made in
accordance by studying the pattern of gene mutation. This study is also
conducted by using different AI based algorithms where the machine tries to
learn the pattern and give suggestive results and recommendations. The need of
social workers in this case is that, as AI is data-driven hence if the social
workers can facilitate or make common people aware of sharing their biological
data, then AI can be a boon and bring a revolution in the medical sector.
In
modern practises, AI is increasingly used in social work for decision-making.
Professionals need tailored AI education to understand its strengths,
challenges, and ethical implications in their daily practice. In some cases, it
is observed, AI-assisted child welfare decision-making interfaces aim to
enhance social workers' ability to understand risk scores, incorporate
contextual knowledge, and address fundamental concerns in complex social
contexts.
Unlocking the potential of AI in social work requires
an understanding of how AI technologies can be used effectively to improve
social services while addressing the associated challenges.
Social
workers can create data-driven treatments that are specifically customized to
the requirements of a community and get significant insights into emerging
social concerns by combining LLMs with other AI approaches like prescriptive
algorithms and predictive analytics.
In
the future, imagine a world in which social workers routinely identify
communities at high risk of juvenile delinquency or youth disengagement by
using artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate patterns in local data. On the
basis of this analysis, they can create focused initiatives to deal with the
two problems. In response to youth disengagement, they may establish mentorship
programs, family support services, and after-school clubs with the goal of
reengaging youth and assisting families. They could put into practice neighbourhood
watch programs, youth diversion programs, and collaborations with local law
enforcement as examples of community-based interventions for crime prevention.
These initiatives can improve community cohesion, lower crime rates, and stop
long-term social isolation.
As
AI develops, social workers may be able to identify specific young people who
are at risk of delinquency or disengagement through predictive analytics,
enabling highly individualized treatments. Technologies like virtual and
augmented reality could be used to create immersive, captivating experiences
that encourage positive behaviour and impart important life skills. Social
professionals may also operate in tandem with AI-driven chatbots and virtual
assistants to offer adolescents and families round-the-clock support and
direction, guaranteeing that assistance is always accessible when needed.
This
innovative use of AI shows how social work interventions may be pre-emptive and
customized to meet the unique needs of each community, ultimately fostering
improved public safety, well-being, and constructive social change. In addition
to preventing social problems, the future of AI and social work will focus on
enabling people and communities to prosper in novel and creative ways.
AI
and social work together offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to revolutionize
service delivery and empower marginalized communities. Social work can make
better use of technology by embracing AI's potential and carefully navigating
its ethical landscape in order to increase its impact on the most vulnerable
members of society. As we proceed, it is critical that we prioritize ethical behaviour,
have ongoing conversations, and cultivate an innovative culture.
This
creative application of AI demonstrates how social work interventions can be
proactive and tailored to each community's specific requirements, ultimately
promoting enhanced public safety, wellbeing, and positive social change. The
future of social work and AI will not just be about averting social problems,
but also about empowering individuals and communities to thrive in new and
innovative ways.
Together, social work and AI present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
transform service delivery and strengthen the voice of underprivileged groups.
By embracing AI's potential and properly navigating its ethical terrain, social
work may make greater use of technology and expand its influence on society's
most vulnerable citizens.
