Investigation Finds AI Tool Does Not Improve Adoptions

Investigation Finds AI Tool Does Not Improve Adoptions

调查发现AI工具并未提高领养率

【原文听力】

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　　By Gena Bennett

　　12 November 2023

　　Thea Ramirez is a former social worker. She now runs a non-profit organization called Adoption-Share.

　　Ramirez has partnered with a computer scientist and developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Family-Match. The tool aims to help social service agencies find the best parents to adopt children in foster care. Foster care is a temporary service provided by American states for children who cannot live with their families.

　　Gian Gonzaga is the computer scientist who worked with Ramirez. He had previously directed the technology behind eharmony, a popular online dating tool.

　　"I was more excited about the project than anything I've heard for all of my career," Gonzaga said in a Family-Match video posted to YouTube.

　　Limited results

　　But an Associated Press (AP) investigation found that Family-Match produced limited results in the states where it has been used. The results raise questions about the ability of AI to solve complex human problems.

　　Social workers in Florida, Georgia and Virginia told AP that Family-Match was not useful. It often led them to unwilling families.

　　Virginia and Georgia stopped using Family-Match after a trial experiment. They said the tool only produced one or two adoptions a year.

　　Tennessee planned to use Family-Match but was unable because of technical issues.

　　Florida agencies, however, reported a better experience with the tool. They said Family-Match assisted them in finding more possible parents to adopt foster children.

　　Ramirez did not agree to answer questions from the AP. But she said in an email that "Family-Match is a valuable tool and helpful to users actively using it to support their recruitment + matching efforts."

　　And Gonzaga asked all questions to be sent to Ramirez.

　　Gaining support

　　Ramirez lives in Georgia, where her nonprofit organization Adoption-Share is based. She got her start by building a website to match possible parents with mothers who wanted their babies to be adopted.

　　Ramirez marketed her website to organizations that are against abortion. Abortion is a medical process that ends a woman's pregnancy. These organizations seek to provide care for pregnant women to persuade them to give birth.

　　After the state of Georgia stopped using Family-Match, Ramirez met with the state governor's office and appeared at a legislative hearing to request $250,000 to pay for a statewide expansion.

　　In July, Georgia decided to use Family-Match again and signed a new agreement. Adoption-Share is permitting Georgia to use Family-Match for free, a state official said.

　　Family-Match was also used for free in Florida at first. Thanks to a grant, or financial award, from the former head of the company that makes Patrón tequila, a kind of alcohol. The grant ended in October 2022. They would not explain why the grant ended, but said they were very pleased with the work done with Adoption-Share.

　　After the grant ended, Florida state government paid for Family-Match. Last month, the state awarded Adoption-Share a $350,000 contract.

　　In May, Family-Match was chosen to receive money from an event supported by Adam Wainwright. At the time, Wainwright was a professional baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals in the state of Missouri.

　　This year, Adoption-Share won a contract with the Florida Department of Health to build a tool centered on children with the most severe medical needs and disabilities.

　　I'm Gena Bennett.

　　Sally Ho and Garance Burke reported this story for Associated Press. Gena Bennett adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：吉娜·贝内特

　　2023年11月12日

　　塞亚·拉米雷斯是一位前社会工作者。她现在经营着一个名为领养分享的非营利组织。

　　拉米雷斯与一位计算机科学家合作，开发了一个名为家庭匹配的人工智能（AI）工具。该工具旨在帮助社会服务机构找到最适合领养寄养儿童的父母。寄养服务是美国各州为不能与家人生活的儿童提供的临时服务。

　　吉安·冈萨加是与拉米雷斯合作的计算机科学家。他之前曾经领导过eharmony的技术开发，这是一个流行的在线约会工具。

　　"我对这个项目的兴趣超过了我职业生涯中听到的任何事情，" 冈萨加在一个上传到YouTube的家庭匹配视频中说。

　　有限的结果但是，美联社（AP）的一项调查发现，家庭匹配在使用过它的州中产生的结果有限。这些结果对AI解决复杂人类问题的能力提出了疑问。

　　佛罗里达州、乔治亚州和弗吉尼亚州的社会工作者告诉AP，家庭匹配并不实用。它经常把他们引向不愿意的家庭。

　　弗吉尼亚州和乔治亚州在试验实验后停止使用家庭匹配。他们说这个工具每年只能产生一两个领养案例。

　　田纳西州计划使用家庭匹配，但由于技术问题无法使用。

　　然而，佛罗里达州的机构报告说他们使用这个工具的经验更好。他们说家庭匹配帮助他们找到更多可能的父母来领养寄养儿童。

　　拉米雷斯没有同意回答AP的问题。但她在一封电子邮件中说，“家庭匹配是一个有价值的工具，对于积极使用它来支持他们的招募和匹配工作的用户来说，它是有帮助的。”冈萨加要求所有问题都发给拉米雷斯。

　　获得支持

　　拉米雷斯住在乔治亚州，她的非营利组织“领养分享”也设在那里。她起初通过建立一个网站来将可能的父母与希望自己的孩子被领养的母亲进行匹配。

　　拉米雷斯将她的网站推广给反对堕胎的组织。堕胎是一种终止女性怀孕的医疗过程。这些组织寻求为孕妇提供照顾，以说服她们生下孩子。

　　在乔治亚州停止使用“家庭匹配”后，拉米雷斯与州长办公室会面，并出席了立法听证会，请求25万美元用于支付全州扩展的费用。

　　7月份，乔治亚州决定再次使用“家庭匹配”，并签署了新的协议。“领养分享”允许乔治亚州免费使用“家庭匹配”，一位州官员说。

　　最初，“家庭匹配”在佛罗里达州也是免费使用的。这得益于一项来自制造Patrón龙舌兰酒（一种酒精饮料）的公司前负责人的赠款，或者说是财务奖励。这项赠款在2022年10月结束。他们没有解释为什么赠款结束，但表示他们对与“领养分享”所做的工作非常满意。

　　赠款结束后，佛罗里达州政府支付了“家庭匹配”的费用。上个月，该州向“领养分享”授予了一份35万美元的合同。

　　五月份，“家庭匹配”被选中从亚当·温赖特支持的活动中获得资金。当时，温赖特是密苏里州圣路易斯红雀队的职业棒球运动员。

　　今年，“领养分享”赢得了与佛罗里达州卫生部的合同，以构建一个以最严重的医疗需求和残疾儿童为中心的工具。

　　我是吉娜·贝内特。

　　这个故事是由萨莉·霍和加朗斯·伯克为美联社报道的。吉娜·贝内特为美国之音学习英语进行了改编。

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　　这个故事中的词汇：

　　to adopt–v.法律上将别人的孩子视为自己的孩子。

　　match—v.很好地相配。

　　recruitment–n. 寻找你需要的人。

　　dating—n. 寻找恋爱对象的过程。