Dr. Jinbo Meng is an associate professor for the School of Communication studying social networks and health and wellbeing technology. She researches communication technologies such as online health groups or artificial intelligence to gain physical and social support for those affected by illness.
A major project she is working on is using communication technologies to detect and reduce depression or anxiety in college-aged students. Meng became interested in creating support for college students facing mental illness when she began observing online health communities and their effects. She remembers many posts by those struggling with a mental illness being in a desperate state or asking for help. When these posts received little attention or responses from other members, Meng wanted to create a solution.
“That gives me the interest in using a form of technology to play a more proactive role for these people searching for help,” Meng said.
Her research into these communication technologies could help to generate a more supportive online community by using artificial intelligence and other technology to provide those asking for help with support and solutions. Meng explains that “unlike human users who are bounded by time and energy, a social bot used for social good could be able to provide constant aid.”
Meng works with the platform Discord, a video and text chat app where users can connect over similar interests. Discord provides Meng with the space to experiment with her AI agent and communicate with college-aged students or other members who are reaching out.
Meng also collaborates with computer science engineers who use sensors on mobile devices to detect behaviors or symptoms of mental illness. These could include “physical activity, sleep quality and mobility,” Meng said. These behavioral indicators could help researchers understand if a person might need support and get the assistance they need.
She is also experimenting with ChatGPT to study human-bot collaboration and provide assistance with creating peer-on-peer conversations for those who might not have the opportunity. ChatGPT provides researchers the opportunity to create a human-like discussion. This also allows the social agent to be constantly available, at all hours, for whoever needs it.
Meng received her PhD in communication from Amberg University and a PhD in journalism from the University of Southern California. She received her master’s degree in mass communication from The Ohio State University and bachelor's degrees in journalism and economics from Peking University in Beijing, China.
Article written by student Alexis O’Dell
