Artificial intelligence technology is advancing with every passing day. the days when data was manually collected and processed are long gone. Now AI technology has made it easy to access information and derive conclusions in a matter of time. this makes this technology one of the best ways to predict famines, hurricanes and even pandemics in the future. AI detected coronavirus long before the health departments across the world did. A Toronto based startup BlueDot spotted coronavirus on 31st December. It was discovered several hours before the first case was reported in Wuhan.
Can AI-based systems prevent the further spread of COVID-19?
The coronavirus has spread to over 200 countries by now. Chinese government came up with a strong strategy to deal with the situation going out of hands. They decided to lean on technology specifically artificial intelligence and data science to prepare themselves to fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. After realizing the threat posed by this virus, various tech leaders have accelerated the healthcare initiatives they had been taking. These companies include Huawei, Alibaba, Baidu and many more.
Tech startups have been actively collaborating with government entities, academics and clinicians to activate AI technology as more people become victims of this deadly disease. Today we are going to discuss the ways AI can prevent the further spread of coronavirus.
Ways AI and robotics can help to prevent the spread of Coronavirus:
Identification and prediction of outbreaks:
The first step to fight off any disease is to identify it. AI can detect unusual phenomenon taking place in any region of the world by analyzing social media platforms, documents from government and news reports. There are various AI-based startups that have come forward to help the government in the identification of disease-stricken areas. The advanced technology we have at hand has made it possible for governments to warn their citizens beforehand. It has enabled government and healthcare organizations to improve their initiatives to curb the consequences pandemic like these bring.
A powerful diagnostic tool:
Artificial intelligence is serving as one of the most effective tools that enable healthcare professionals to effectively monitor and diagnose diseases. There are various AI-based companies such as Infervision that have been working hard to offer effective AI diagnostic solutions to the frontline healthcare facilitators. Corona Virus pandemic has increased the workload for the imaging departments. Its high time that we develop systems that enable the healthcare sector to run thousands of tests at a time. AI solutions have accelerated the speed of CT diagnosis.
Various ecommerce giants have also jumped in to help in this hour of need. Alibaba is one of the most prominent names. It has built a diagnostic system powered by Artificial intelligence that offers 96% accurate diagnostic results.
AI to support administrative divisions related to the healthcare sector:
Along with clinical operations, the administrative division of the healthcare system is also facing more pressure than usual. These departments also need some technical support to deal with the surge of Coronavirus patients. Since this disease spreads via human interaction, it’s important to automate the administrative and business divisions associated with healthcare. Ant Financial has introduced a blockchain platform that claims to accelerate the process. This system has proven to be very effective in performing administrative tasks while minimizing face to face interaction between the patients and the healthcare staff.
AI to deliver medical supplies:
cities have been locked down and the transportation system has come down to halt. This has made it a lot harder for medical supplies to reach patients on time. drone delivery is one of the best ways to make sure that medical supplies are delivered safely and in no time during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Terra Drone has introduced some of the most advanced aerial vehicles to ensure the timely delivery of medical supplies and quarantine material. These drones are making it possible to transport essential supplies with minimal risk from Xinchang County’s disease control center to the People’s Hospital. Drone technology has also been used to patrol public places. These aerial vehicles allow police departments to track whether or not the public is complying with the quarantine mandates using thermal imaging.
Robotics for sterilization of supplies and food:
Robots can’t catch viruses, therefore, deploying them is a great way to get multiple tasks done while minimizing human to human interaction. Robots are deployed to perform the tasks that expose healthcare staff to the deadly virus. These robots can perform tasks such as sterilization and food and medicine delivery to limit human interaction. Blue Ocean Robotics has introduced a new force of UVD robots that use UV light to kill viruses and bacteria. Pudu Technology robots have been deployed all across China to serve the healthcare and catering industry.
Development of drugs:
AI algorithm has the computing power to detect proteins that make the virus. Google’s DeepMind division used AI-based systems to identify the proteins that viruses such as coronavirus are composed of. It published its findings so that others could use this information to develop cures and medication.
Benevolent AI systems have been used for years to fight off some of the world’s deadliest diseases. This system is now deployed to support the efforts against fighting Coronavirus. This company is now focusing its efforts to create products to fight infectious diseases. AI technology has enabled experts to predict the existing drugs that can be used to relieve the symptoms of COVID-19.
How AI will reopen the cities and bring the economy back to normal?
Coronavirus has ripped across the world and has caused cities after cities to lockdown. This pandemic has turned urban business centers, public places and malls into ghost towns. However, this is not the first time a communicable disease has stricken us. We are equipped with advanced technology that has enabled us to emerge after every downfall. AI can stable economic growth after the pandemic is over.
AI to make airports pandemic proof:
In order to bring flight operations back to normal, it’s important for the airports to be pandemic proof. AI will be closely incorporated in the monitoring systems placed at the airports. This technology will help in monitoring patients and for disinfecting the facilities.
BioSticker is an advance tool to measure respiratory rate, coughing, heart rate and temperature of a person in a matter of minutes. GermFalcon is a robot designed to kill and sanitize airplanes. It is effective in killing the majority of the viruses present on the surfaces and within the surrounding air.
Promotion of telework:
The majority of the offices have asked their employees to work from home. Once the pandemic is over, the majority of the people will get back to work. However, the companies that found remote work more effective will keep relying on telework. AI-based systems will make sure that departments stay connected even when the majority is working from home. Various remote businesses will also emerge as AI-based systems will be more accessible for all. Services like Business name generator will be in high demand during these times.
AI to protect frontline service workers:
Deployment of robots and AI-enabled systems will protect the frontline service workers from getting exposed to the viruses in the coming future. Automation of various tasks will improve productivity and contribute towards stabilizing the economy.
Final words:
The world will be an entirely different place when the coronavirus pandemic is over. There are so many challenges that we need to face today. From the scarcity of food to limiting human to human interaction, there are so many objectives that we can achieve by incorporating the AI technology in our working systems. We need to improve the retail sector and make it easy for individuals to better access their desired items while maintaining some sort of social distance.
