“How Can We Use Artificial Intelligence in our Fight Against COVID-19?” TIV presents a Novel Perspective on Combating the Coronavirus Pandemic with Digital Solutions

AI COVID

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TIV published a study on the unique use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) towards controlling disease spread and as a mechanism for developing pharmacological interventions. The publication explores the duality of AI as an instrument for good or evil, with an emphasis on how its increasingly more powerful capabilities can be used in the context of COVID-19. In their investigation, TIV’s Vice President of Emerging Technologies and Intellectual Property, Dr. Stankovic, and TIV’s Business Development Associate and IP researcher, Nikola Neftenov, leverage their expertise in topics related to the 4th Industrial Revolution to describe how AI can assist public health authorities, social distancing and even produce potential treatments.

For example, the article describes how AI was used by a Canadian health surveillance startup to identify the spread of COVID-19. The company, Blue Dot, was even able to identify early clusters of unusual pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China in late December of 2019 via GIS data and flight ticket sales. In the hospital setting, TIV identified instances where AI was used to provide decision support for radiological studies, in addition to the automation of hospital operations. However, the authors end the article on a more cautious note. Namely, that AI is a double-edged sword, in that the massive amount of data it requires can be used for magnanimous or malicious purposes. On the ominous side, AI requires extracts copious data such as that produced from facial recognition technologies, web search history and video content, which can be weaponized into malicious apparatuses, such as deep-fakes or police-state like surveillance. Accordingly, among other recommendations, TIV advises that researchers, developers and consumers tread a careful line when using or creating such technologies, in addition to advocating for increased regulation and conversation surrounding the ethical use of AI.