APPLICATIONS
Now , as we finally emerge and AI has been cemented as a core technology of the fourth industrial revolution , many organisations are looking at the potential this technology has of building next-generation epidemic preparedness and how to move forwards driving a resilient recovery .
“ Without AI , it would not have been possible to start testing vaccines in humans less than three months after the initial discovery of the outbreak in China and then roll out lifesaving treatments so quickly . AI also enabled virologists to model virus mutations , ensuring the evolution of effective countermeasures ,” comments Arash Ghazanfari , CTO at Dell Technologies .
“ We can expect artificial intelligence to assist with more proactive containment of future outbreaks or , at the very least , dramatically shorten the duration of future pandemics ,” he continues .
“ High-quality data will lead to high-quality insights , resulting in high-quality treatment and better health outcomes ”
ARASH GHAZANFARI CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER , DELL TECHNOLOGIES
Adding to this , AI-generated insights helped manage the response to COVID by providing analysts with the information to make better informed decisions . Dr Nicole Mather , Executive Partner , Life Sciences and Health Data at IBM , sheds light on how AI-generated insights have been effective and shares how Oxford University ’ s Big Data Institute worked on AI in the fight against COVID : “ IBM built an interface that allowed the BDI to crowdsource inputs from multiple organisations to refine their COVID-19 predictive model , which had been adapted from an existing Oxford HIV model . This model allowed policymakers to consider the impact of different policy levers and public behaviours on the transmission of COVID , including the use of the [ UK ’ s ] NHS contact tracing app alerting citizens to the need to self-isolate .”
Sound datasets for virus management Just as the WHO outlines guiding principles for the use of AI in healthcare , it also warns of the risks and pitfalls that need to be fully addressed before AI can be confidently and consistently used to help manage the outbreak of viruses .
To ensure that AI and its software is equipped to deal with health crises efficiently , Ghazanfari stresses the importance of strong
64 June 2022