Researchers at southern Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have released a new application that aims to enable anyone present at a trauma event to administer psychological first aid.

Its creators hope that the technology, available in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, will help prevent the development of trauma among both regular citizens and first responders in Israel, Diaspora Jews coping with antisemitic events overseas, and Gulf Arabs.

Since the start of the current Israeli-US war with Iran, many Gulf Arabs are confronting mass trauma events for the first time.

Within seconds, the free application offers the first responder suggestions based on science and international protocols. A chatbot invites users to briefly describe the event, then tells them what to say in that specific circumstance. This includes maintaining eye contact with the victim and encouraging him or her to think, speak, and, where possible, perform a physical action.

Talia Meital Schwartz-Tayri, who founded and heads the southern university’s AI for Social Work Laboratory, which produces the application, said she had joined a volunteer group of mental health professionals immediately after the deadly Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people  were killed and 251 were abducted to the Gaza Strip, all of whom have since been returned, either alive or dead.

She said she witnessed how difficult it was for professional first responders to practice the principles of psychological........

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