Ruined a grad student’s day today after they were excitedly explaining an algorithm that would use web searches to determine who needs mental health intervention (which, on its face is an AWFUL idea but that was not my criticism)

“What about people like me? Just this afternoon I’ve Googled ‘Ambien can you overdose,’ ‘Topomax permanent side affects,’ ‘self harm cut infection,’ and ‘age of onset visual hallucinations.’”

It had never occurred to them that people regularly search for things they aren’t personally experiencing. This algorithm took a YEAR and no one in the grad school saw this potential complication. Tech is not going to save us, y’all. It just isn’t.