Dr Janni Leung
NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland (UQ).
September 2023
In each Connections we ask someone from the alcohol and other drugs sector to share a little about their work and life.
The following is a condensed version of “Award winner’s AI plan to prevent youth vaping” by Chris Clarke, UQ Research News, 6 September 2023- read the entire article here; watch the video
Vaping has dramatically increased in popularity in recent years, with a 40% surge in users between 2018 and 2022. But what if Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help stop young people from taking up the habit?
Dr Janni Leung is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research at The University of Queensland (UQ).
In August 2023, she was awarded a UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award. As part of this award, Janni plans to use AI to capture the attention of troubled youth who are vaping.
The project itself will see Dr Leung use AI to develop posters, slogans and other messaging about the negative effects of vaping on teens.
The imagery will then be used on social media to reach her target audience.
A group of teenagers will assist in co-creating the study and provide feedback about the effectiveness of the AI imagery prior to the campaign's launch.
"The findings will be analysed, translated, and directly reported to the relevant authorities, such as the Australian Department of Health and Aging.”
"Young people are not just the beneficiaries of our research but an integral part of the solution. This award will empower us to leverage their insights, perspectives, and creativity to address complex health challenges that are currently impacting their lives.”
Read more about Dr Leung’s project here.
