Getting divorced? University needs you for AI study

You could be better off

If you're one of the 10 per cent of couples splitting up with your spouse, Exeter University want to help you through it with the help of artificial intelligence.

Boffins are studying how people who wouldn’t normally use technology to help in their lives.

Four in 10 of all marriages end in divorce, with around one in five before the tenth anniversary. Despite this, since 2013 legal aid has been unavailable for most private family law issues, including almost all divorces, so lots of people are undertaking DIY-divorces.

The university says this can result in some people getting divorced without everything they are entitled to, which can have a financial and emotional impact on them and often their children, which disproportionately affects women.

Pschology PhD student, Mustafa Biber, from the University of Exeter said: “Lots of people wouldn’t consider using AI for advice about their divorce, while others may not have access or the right skills. This digital divide is often ignored when developing technology and must be fixed retrospectively. We want to avoid that by discovering and understanding any potential barriers before development begins."

Project supervisor Professor Miriam Koschate-Reis, from the Institute for Data Science and AI at the University of Exeter said: “For many of us AI-driven service technologies have become a normal part of our lives, from comparing insurance quotes to planning a journey online - but not everyone has the access, ability, or desire to use these technologies."

Professor Anne Barlow from the University of Exeter Law School said: “We know that people already negatively affected financially are also more vulnerable to getting a worse deal from divorce, because they can’t afford legal help and they often don’t know how to access important information from a reliable source. This is a critical situation which can have long-term financial consequences for people getting divorced and their families.”

The study need 500 participants who are going through divorce or separation. Half of those will already be using online sources and are engaged with technology, while the other half will be people who would not typically use technology for support with something such as getting divorced.

The anonymous survey will take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Participants will not be asked to provide any personally identifying information and any information they do provide will be kept confidentially in a password-protected file space, which can only be accessed by the project researchers. A donation of £2 will be made on behalf of each participant to a charity of their choice from the following – Mind, Shelter, The Trussell Trust, Young Minds.

Participation in the study is possible online or via post. The online survey can be accessed here: http://ex.ac.uk/d7p

A paper survey with return envelope can be requested by calling Freephone number: 0800 0982616