It analyzed over 600,000 tweets and found 1,778 cases of drugs being marketed online. US researchers have developed artificial intelligence ( AI ) technology which can help detect illegal drug sales on social media . The scientists from the University of California in San Diego geared the system towards looking for signs of people selling prescription drugs on Twitter . In trials , it analysed 600,000 tweets and found 1,778 cases of drugs being sold , even collecting information about the locations in which the sales were taking place . Information pulled is not of direct use to law enforcement , but could provide researchers with data on the extent of the problem .
US researchers have developed artificial intelligence ( AI ) technology which can help detect illegal drug sales on social media . The scientists from the University of California in San Diego geared the system towards looking for signs of people selling prescription drugs on Twitter . In trials , it analysed 600,000 tweets and found 1,778 cases of drugs being sold , even collecting information about the locations in which the sales were taking place . Information pulled is not of direct use to law enforcement , but could provide researchers with data on the extent of the problem .