README.md

---
title: The Digital Vaccine
emoji: 🧬
colorFrom: blue
colorTo: green
sdk: gradio
sdk_version: 6.5.1
app_file: app.py
pinned: true
license: apache-2.0
---

# 🧬 The Digital Vaccine: AI-in-the-Loop 

### *Breaking the Scrolling Pandemic with Clinical Open-Source AI*

This project is a technical proof-of-concept demonstrating how specialized, small language models (SLMs) can act as a **"Cognitive Orthotic"** to prevent algorithmic addiction and "doomscrolling."

## 🚀 The Concept
Inspired by my Medium article, **"Scrolling: Is it the New Pandemic?"**, this Space implements a **Circuit Breaker** architecture. Instead of a blunt app blocker, it uses clinical reasoning to detect the transition from *intentional browsing* to *passive consumption*.

## 🛠️ Technical Stack
- **Model:** `google/gemma-2-2b-it` (A lightweight, high-performance sibling to the **MedGemma** family).
- **Framework:** [Gradio](https://gradio.app/) for the interface.
- **Inference Strategy:** Designed for **Edge Deployment**. In a production environment, this model would be **quantized (4-bit/8-bit)** to run locally on user hardware via `transformers` or `llama.cpp`.

## 🧠 How it Works
1. **Telemetry Ingestion:** The system monitors "Scroll Velocity" (a proxy for dopamine-seeking behavior).
2. **Clinical Reasoning:** The model evaluates user intent against behavioral markers.
3. **Micro-CBT Intervention:** If a "Zombiescroll" state is detected, the AI triggers a clinically-grounded Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) prompt to re-engage the user's prefrontal cortex.

## 📖 Related Reading
- **Part 1:** [Scrolling: Is it the New Pandemic?](https://medium.com/@unscripted_/scrolling-is-it-the-new-pandemic-24f8df4dda8e)
- **Part 2:** [The Digital Vaccine: Engineering Our Way Out](LINK_TO_YOUR_NEW_ARTICLE)

## 🤝 Acknowledgments
Developed as a collaboration between [Gargi Kulkarni] and **Gemini**, focusing on the intersection of Behavioral Science and ML Engineering.