Using AI, Canadian city predicts who might become homeless

A woman wearing a protective mask walks through an alley in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Launched in August, the AI system analyses the personal data of participants to calculate who faces having nowhere to sleep for an extended period, said Ross. — Reuters

TORONTO: As makeshift tent cities spring up across Canada to house rough sleepers who fear using shelters due to Covid-19, one city is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to predict which residents risk becoming homeless.

Computer programmers working for the city of London, Ontario, 170km southwest of the provincial capital Toronto, say the new system is the first of its kind anywhere – and it could offer insights for other regions grappling with homelessness.