Saasyan Unveils Image Object Detection AI Targeting Threats of Violence In K-12 Schools

 Saasyan, a leader in AI-powered online student safety, has launched Image Object Detection AI, a new AI model embedded in their cloud-based, online student safety solution, Saasyan Assure, that identifies and alerts when weapons are found in images across Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

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“With instances of threats of violence, extremism and radicalisation increasing in prevalence across the globe, Image Object Detection AI will significantly improve a school’s ability to detect, intervene, and address threats to staff and student safety” said Sidney Minassian, CEO of Saasyan.

Capable of identifying more than 4,000 different types of weapons, Image Object Detection AI inspects images uploaded to a student’s school online drive, in addition to those exchanged via school email or chat accounts.

Saasyan also announced that it has expanded its natural language processing models (NLP), a vital part of how language-based alerts are generated in Saasyan Assure, to now include detection of threats of violence, extremism and radicalisation.

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These NLP models are applied to students’ web searches, chats, emails, drive content and even video titles to generate alerts beyond direct matches with Assure’s local ‘words & phrases’ dictionary. If a student performs a search for something like ‘where to buy a gun’ or ‘best place to hide a knife’, schools can now receive an alert regardless of if the trigger terms are found in the local dictionary.

With the addition of the new Image Object Detection AI and NLP models, as well as the recently announced Safe Image AI for detecting images containing sexual content and AI-Powered Online Grooming alerts for detecting inappropriate online conversations between adults and children, Saasyan is enabling K-12 schools to perform their duty of care, proactively manage risk and be able to intervene against cyberbullying, self-harm, suicide, threats of violence, online grooming and image-based abuse.