PE(Ai)CE 2025-Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Community Violence Intervention

Rise of the Machines

In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, humanity faces an existential crisis as technology turns against its creators. While fictional, the lesson is clear: when technology becomes a threat, it must also be part of the solution. Today, online conflicts escalating into real-world violence demand a similar response. Just as law enforcement uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Clearview AI for facial recognition and ShotSpotter for gunfire detection, Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations must adopt AI to prevent and intervene in violence before it happens. To operate smarter and faster, blending AI into CVI work isn’t just an option—it’s essential.

"The future is not set. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves." – The Terminator

The Challenge: Digital Violence Fuels Real-World Harm

Online spaces are increasingly hotbeds of conflict. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30% of youth violence incidents originate on social media. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and inflammatory rhetoric often escalate into real-world tragedies, including shootings and suicides. CVI workers, tasked with de-escalating these conflicts, face overwhelming challenges due to limited resources and the rapid spread of online hostility.

Law enforcement has embraced AI to gain a strategic advantage. Tools like ShotSpotter detect gunfire in real-time, while predictive policing systems like PredPol identify high-risk areas for criminal activity. These advancements allow law enforcement to respond proactively. However, CVI organizations—focused on prevention—often lack access to similar technology, leaving communities vulnerable to avoidable violence. It’s time to level the playing field.

Pe(AI)ce: Using AI for Prevention and Intervention

Unlike tools used by law enforcement for criminalization and prosecution, AI can empower CVI organizations to focus on prevention and intervention. Community safety isn’t just about putting people in prison—it’s about fostering peace. AI enables CVI workers to monitor digital spaces, analyze trends, and act quickly to de-escalate potential violence.

Key AI Tools for CVI Work:

1. Brand24: Tracks specific keywords linked to threats or conflicts, providing CVI teams with early warnings.
2. Hootsuite Insights: Offers sentiment analysis and geolocation data to identify at-risk areas.
3. Babel Street: Monitors multilingual social media content, detecting risks in diverse communities.
4. Crisis Text Line AI: Traditionally used for mental health crises, this tool can be adapted to flag language indicative of escalating violence or school threats.

By leveraging these tools, CVI organizations can prioritize their efforts, focusing on the most critical cases and intervening before conflicts spiral out of control.

Recent Incidents Highlighting the Need for AI Integration

The urgency for integrating AI into CVI efforts is underscored by recent violent incidents in New Orleans:

1. School Shutdowns Due to Online Threats: Multiple schools were closed after threats were posted on social media, disrupting education and creating widespread fear. AI tools could have identified these threats earlier, enabling timely interventions. (Source: WGNO)
2. Mass Shooting at a Second-Line Parade: A cherished cultural event turned tragic when gunfire erupted, killing two and injuring multiple people. AI analysis of online chatter leading up to the event might have detected potential risks, allowing for proactive safety measures. (Source: AP News)
3. French Quarter Mass Shooting: A mass shooting in the French Quarter injured several and killed two, exposing gaps in prevention strategies. AI systems could have provided real-time alerts about rising tensions, giving authorities time to act. (Source)

In each case, AI could have been a lifesaving tool for prevention.

Addressing School Threats: A Critical Need

School shootings and mass violence are increasingly linked to online activity. Students often post threats or warning signs on social media before carrying out attacks. AI algorithms can scan for patterns in language or behavior associated with school violence, alerting authorities and intervention teams to potential risks. By combining this intelligence with human judgment, we can better protect students and school communities from preventable tragedies.

Example: Crisis Text Line AI could be adapted to monitor for escalating language among students, providing early alerts to school officials. This proactive approach ensures intervention before incidents occur.

Read my previous article on this critical issue: “Category 5 Crisis - Online School Shooting Threats Are Real”.

Data-Driven Impact

AI enhances both the speed and accuracy of interventions and transforms how CVI organizations measure their impact. Predictive analytics can:

• Identify high-risk areas.
• Assess the effectiveness of interventions.
• Guide resource allocation.

These capabilities mirror the success of law enforcement’s COMPSTAT systems, which use data to optimize officer deployment. For CVI, this means reaching vulnerable communities sooner, using evidence-based strategies that maximize impact.

Ethical Considerations: Building Trust Through Transparency

While the benefits of AI are undeniable, concerns about privacy and misuse must be addressed. Unlike law enforcement, which often uses AI for surveillance and prosecution, CVI organizations focus on prevention and trust-building. Transparency and ethical frameworks must guide AI implementation, ensuring that tools prioritize anonymity and empower communities rather than over-policing them.

By involving community leaders in developing and implementing AI solutions, CVI organizations can ensure these tools enhance—not erode—trust.

A Call to Action

To bridge the gap between technology and community safety, CVI organizations, policymakers, and tech developers must collaborate. Funding should prioritize adapting AI tools like Brand24 for CVI work, while partnerships with tech companies should focus on creating solutions designed for prevention and community empowerment. The cost of inaction is too high—without AI, communities will continue to face escalating violence with limited means to address it.

"Technology, when wielded with empathy and purpose, becomes a bridge to peace. By combining human compassion with AI's precision, we can not only predict violence but prevent it—turning conflict into opportunity and fear into safety."

The Future of CVI

In Rise of the Machines, humanity’s survival hinged on using technology to outsmart existential threats. Today, the stakes are equally high. The rise of digitally fueled violence demands a shift in how CVI organizations operate. While the rise of technology presents challenges, we have the power to shape how it is used. By leveraging AI for prevention and intervention, CVI organizations can create a safer, more peaceful future.

Imagine a world where AI empowers community leaders to detect conflicts before they escalate, where digital disputes are de-escalated in real-time, and where technology is a tool for peace rather than division. This future is not just possible—it’s necessary.

About the Author

Patrick Young is the Founder and CEO of 4 Social Peace, the first digital violence intervention organization pioneering efforts on social media, gaming, and metaverse platforms. As the former Director of the Mayor’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention in New Orleans, Patrick led initiatives that reduced violent crime by 40%. A graduate of the University of Chicago’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA), he is the author of A Way Up: Economic Development Post-Incarceration, which explores pathways to financial stability after incarceration. Patrick is a recognized leader in digital violence intervention and a passionate advocate for using AI to build safer communities.

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