AI Seminar Series 2022: Ali Zamani

The AI Seminar is a weekly meeting at the University of Alberta where researchers interested in artificial intelligence (AI) can share their research. Presenters include both local speakers from the University of Alberta and visitors from other institutions. Topics can be related in any way to artificial intelligence, from foundational theoretical work to innovative applications of AI techniques to new fields and problems.

On July 8, 2022, Ali Zamani, computer science MSc at the University of Alberta, presented "Developing a Mental Health Virtual Assistance (Chatbot) for Healthcare Workers" at the AI Seminar.

Conversational agents (CAs) such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri have become popular in recent years. Conversational agents are computer systems designed to have natural conversations with human users, either for casual chatting or to provide the user with relevant information for a specific task. Zamani describes a project — in partnership with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Digital Hub for Mental Health, the University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, Dalhousie University, and the University of Alberta’s AI4Society Signature Area — which developed a mental health conversational agent (MIRA). It aims to assist healthcare workers and their families in finding relevant mental health information and local services in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia. You can find the chatbot via mymira.ca.

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