There have been astounding breakthroughs in the field of machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence (AI). The concepts allow machines to process and analyze information in a highly sophisticated manner, similar to the way our brains process information. We already see the benefits of AI in the world and our lives, including with AI predicting the Coronavirus outbreaks.
The Canadian AI company BlueDot was able to identify the Coronavirus outbreak before it became a full-blown pandemic and also forecast how it may spread. The company’s computer programmers, sitting thousands of miles away, were able to diagnose the contagious disease before the men and women in face masks and lab coats began picking up on warning signs on site.
Mainstream media didn’t get news of the outbreak in China’s Hubei province until around January 10th. Meanwhile, BlueDot had already sounded the alarm. Nearly two weeks before the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the public of the coronavirus, the firm that specializes in infectious disease surveillance had already made its first report on the impeding biohazard. It predicted the hampering coronavirus outbreak on December 31st, but the WHO didn’t send out its public notice until January 9th.
BlueDot’s prediction was made using an artificial intelligence-powered system that scours through government documents, animal and plant disease networks, news reports in vernacular websites, and other online sources. It took in all the information in real-time and identified the potential coronavirus outbreak. It then forecasted how the disease might spread and sent their findings to clients warning them it could be dangerous to travel to Wuhan – even before foreign governments started issuing travel advisories.
The AI uses machine learning and natural language processing to go through 100,000 news reports in 65 languages, animal and plant disease networks, and airline ticketing data to predict virus outbreak patterns. It predicted that the virus would spread to Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, and Bangkok. Once the automated data sifting is done, the findings are checked by trained epidemiologists to make sure the results make sense from a scientific standpoint. Then, they draw inferences and attach a risk factor to each case. The cases are sent to BlueDot clients, which include public health organizations, businesses, and governments.
BlueDot’s early warning is a perfect example of AI at its best. It is proof of how AI can improve our identification of and response to new virus outbreaks – a handy ability since identifying a new virus is the first step towards mobilizing a response and, eventually, creating a vaccine. However, a virus remaining undetected will dictate how much and how far it will spread. The quicker it is spotted, the fewer people will be infected, and the higher the chances of stopping it from spreading worldwide.
Artificial Intelligence never gets tired, and it doesn’t need to take time off. It can sift through enormous amounts of data that would either be too much for humans or take much too long. It quickly identifies possible correlations and causations that are accurate, as long as the data it is being fed is reliable. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, tracking the movements (by car, trains, buses, or planes) of people who are or might be infected is of great importance to public health.
