Since the onset of the pandemic, researchers have put all technological innovations to use in order to fight the virus. The use of artificial intelligence was already prevalent in entertainment, finance, and business corporations including ISPs such as Charter Cable. Now it has penetrated the healthcare sector as well. Medical personnel is making use of this technology to understand and address the crisis in a time-efficient manner. Here are some of the main ways in which Al is helping tackle the pandemic.
#1. Fast Data Processing
There are countless scholarly papers on Covid and its variants. And the number is increasing by the day. In a matter of a week, thousands of new researches are added. Scientists working on the cure of this virus need to be aware of past research findings in order to deliver error-free solutions. But going through such extensive researches and reports would take any individual years (even if they did no work and only read).
This is where Al-based machines come into play. They are designed to go through huge chunks of data in minimal time and extract the most important information to help you with your research. Their findings are accurate because they are trained on huge data samples. This makes them capable of analyzing data sets to detect patterns, and relationships independently. This ability of Al machines to filter through databases has been extremely useful in predicting the patterns and speed of the Covid-19 spread.
#2. Minimize Human Contact
During the past year and a half, several Al-based robots have emerged to help reduce the contact between health care workers and patients. This has played a pivotal role in reducing the risk of cross-infections. In China, robots and drones can spray disinfectants in public areas and also perform contactless delivery. You now also have robots that can check Covid-19 symptoms such as fever. They can also dispense gel and hand sanitizers. Not only this, Al-based robots can serve medicine and food to patients and disinfect their rooms. All this is helping minimize human contact which is the main cause of the Coronavirus spread.
In the US, a company by the name of Boston Dynamics developed a robot dog called Spot. The robot helps reduce the contact of health workers with contagious Covid patients.
#3. Diagnosis
Al technology is also helping health care workers conduct Covid diagnoses. An example in this regard is that of the tech giant Alibaba. It developed an Al system capable of detecting the virus based on the CT scans of a patient’s chest. According to the company, the Al model takes 20 seconds to make a diagnosis.
If a human were to make the same diagnosis, it would take them around 15 minutes. This is because they would have to evaluate around 300 images to reach a conclusion.
#4. Fake Covid News
Fear mongers are spreading rumors about government policies, and the cures and symptoms of new Covid varients. Such news distracts the attention of the people from important life-saving information from credible sources. Hence, Facebook and Google are incorporating Al in their algorithms to filter out misinformation and redirect their users to credible news sources.
#5. Development of Drugs & Vaccines
Al helps identify useful drugs to treat Covid patients. Owing to the computational analysis it provides, medical professionals can identify drugs and treatments more quickly. This means that the clinical trials can be carried out earlier as well. An example is in this regard is that of IMB Watson Health. It makes use of a database to determine which medication is right for a certain patient. Many patients have underlying conditions and it would take a while for doctors to evaluate and prescribe a suitable medication for them. But Al technology can readily identify the probable ideal medicine for a patient and thereby make the doctor’s job easier.
Conclusion:
From making early diagnosis possible to predicting the spread of Covid waves to facilitating scientists in the development of drugs, Al has contributed significantly to the fight against Covid. The methods of Al are not only safe but also time-efficient and cost-effective.
The world has witnessed and experienced the advantages of this technology during the crisis. Therefore in the near future, many industries would benefit from Al to make their processes more effective.
