Social work focuses on helping and empowering people, especially those who face injustice. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that teaches computers to make decisions and solve problems like a human would. How can they work together to improve people’s lives?
New research from Fordham GSS Professor Lauri Goldkind, Ph.D., explores the “considerable unrealized potential” these two fields can have on one another in an article titled “Considering a Unified Model of Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Social Work: A Systematic Review.” The article was published in the Journal of Human Rights and Social Work.
Goldkind et. al reviewed 67 research papers to understand how social workers think about using AI in the field. They looked for common themes and patterns and noticed that, although AI could be very useful for social work, there isn’t much research on how social workers can use AI to help others.
The result is what Goldkind calls “Artificial Social Work,” which combines social work skills with AI tools. This model aims to improve how social workers help others by blending human rights values with AI-powered solutions.
The article highlights both the potential benefits and risks of AI in social work and suggests how future researchers could continue exploring this exciting combination.
