Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming COVID-19 Crisis

Col. Inderjeet Singh, Cyber Security Expert, Director General, Cyber Security Association of India explains the importance of Artificial intelligence (AI) in combating COVID-19. It has, in a short period of time, emerged as one of the biggest challenges to be faced by the 21st-century world.

Delhi: Col. Inderjeet Singh talks about how Coronavirus’s rapid spread and global impacts have made people across the globe feel helpless and scared in the manner as it has escalated beyond proportion and forced them to change many aspects of their everyday lives. It is clear that the world needs a quick and safe vaccine right now to combat the further spread of the Coronavirus.

In that case, what would be the best solution to this health crisis? Further complicating the response to this challenge are the grey areas surrounding the virus itself, in terms of its spread and how to treat it.

This is where Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning come into play. With Advancements in Artificial Intelligence applications, speech recognition, data analytics, machine learning, deep learning, there is also a rapid development in chatbots and facial recognition that can not only be utilized for diagnosis, telemedicine but also for contact tracing and vaccine development.

Artificial Intelligence has no doubt aided in predictive analytics of the COVID-19 and helped to curb its worst effects.

Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming COVID-19 Crisis

Artificial Intelligence has the capability of providing day-to-day updates of the patients and also to provide Speedier Way to Handle Contact Tracing.

• Contact tracing is an effective way to slow COVID-19.
• It involves getting in touch with a person’s close contacts after that particular individual tests positive for the virus and asking them to self-isolate. Contact tracing could be time-consuming, although it’s getting easier as more people take social distancing seriously.
• Artificial Intelligence can help analyze the level of infection by this virus identifying the clusters and ‘hot spots’ and can successfully do the contact tracing of the individuals and also to constantly monitor them.
• It can predict the future course of this virus and likely reappearance.

Artificial Intelligence with the help of real-time data analysis can provide updated information which is helpful in the prevention of this COVID-19

• It can be used to predict the probable sites of infection, the influx of the virus, the need for beds, and healthcare professionals during this crisis.
• Artificial Intelligence is helpful for future virus and disease prevention, with the help of previous mentored data over data prevalent at different times.

Col. Inderjeet says: "It identifies traits, causes, and reasons for the spread of infection. In the future, this will become an important technology to fight against the other epidemics and pandemics. It can provide a preventive measure and fight against many other diseases. In the future, Artificial Intelligence will play a vital role in providing more predictive and preventive healthcare."

Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming COVID-19 Crisis

There is little doubt that the timely availability of reliable data is extremely important for the effective management of COVID-19. If big data is combined with Artificial Intelligence, it becomes a powerful decision support tool that could assist in limiting the spread of a disease, as well as the mitigation of its consequences.

Although it is important to maintain a perspective of Artificial Intelligence as a decision support tool as opposed to a decision-making mechanism, the importance of Artificial Intelligence for decision support is being more openly accepted than ever before.

Facial recognition combined with thermal capability has changed the dynamics of Access Control. Thermal cameras have been used for some time now for detecting people with fever. The drawback to the technology is the need for a human operator. However, now cameras possessing Artificial Intelligence-based multisensory technology have been deployed in airports, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. The technology automatically detects individuals with fever and tracks their movements, recognize their faces, and detect whether the person is wearing a face mask.

Artificial Intelligence is used for drug research by analyzing the available data on COVID-19

• It is useful for drug research and development.
• This technology is used in speeding up drug testing in real-time, where standard testing takes plenty of time and hence helps to accelerate this process significantly, which may not be possible by a human.
• It can help to identify useful drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
• It has become a powerful tool for diagnostic test designs and vaccination development.
• AI helps in developing vaccines and treatments at a much faster rate than usual and is also helpful for clinical trials during the development of the vaccine.

Col Inderjeet further adds, "Uncertainty of the pandemic has unavoidably resulted in the propagation of myths about COVID-19 on social media platforms. While no quantitative assessment available to evaluate how much misinformation is out there already, but it is very significantly high."

Technology giants like Twitter, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and Facebook are battling to combat the waves of conspiracy theories, phishing, misinformation, and malware. A search on any of the social media for COVID-19 yields an alert sign coupled with links to verified sources of information.

Artificial Intelligence for sure gives solutions to find out the originality of the content of Social Media Platforms.

There are a number of silver-linings to the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from increased confidence in Artificial Intelligence to increased cross-disciplinary collaboration and the development of stronger cross-disciplinary networks that will benefit innovation beyond COVID-19.

AI, Data Science, and technology are being used to manage and fight COVID-19.

Artificial Intelligence is not only playing a major role in helping to track the outbreak of the virus but also to develop a vaccine. Through a deep analysis of the care that every COVID-19 patient receives, Artificial Intelligence further assists in determining the best treatment strategies. Here are six ways:-

Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming COVID-19 Crisis

Artificial Intelligence remains a valuable tool to make sense of huge sets of data. When combined with the expert knowledge of humans, it can save human lives. In the current Covid-19 crisis, technology such as AI, machine learning, and powerful algorithms, as well as human knowledge, creativity, and innovation will all play a critical role in fighting and surviving the COVID-19 crisis.

Col.Inderjeet can be followed on twitter @inderbarara, insta:inderbarara