China develops AI model that spots depression 4 years in advance An AI model developed by researchers at Shenzhen University could potentially transform early intervention for a disorder affecting over 332 million people worldwide, the SCMP reports. The model analyzed how teenagers’ brains responded to happy, neutral and angry faces A tendency to perceive facial expressions negatively was linked to higher future depression risk The AI was trained on data from major adolescent studies across Europe In a second trial, abnormal readings were found specifically in participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder Using the AI model, researchers were able to predict which 19-year-olds would develop depression by the age of 23, and the trial data later confirmed their predictions.