By Evelyn Johnson, blogger about technology.

As the world continues to fight the novel coronavirus, every section of the society is playing its role. Medical professionals, law enforcement officers, and essential workers are on the frontline of this battle, while researchers, data scientists, and community leaders are also doing their part.

There has been a recent increased emphasis on how AI can boost humanity’s efforts in this on-going crisis. Experts believe Artificial Intelligence can analyze published literature on the disease, study structure and DNA of the virus, and recommend existing drugs or find a new one (in the latter case, it would take almost two years for the drug to be approved by the FDA).

There has also been a discussion on how AI can help governments be smart about social distancing policies. While lockdowns can prevent the spread of COVID-19, they can devastate the economy as this research by ClothingRIC demonstrates. An AI-based approach would allow the government to monitor the population movement, identify vulnerable communities, and implement social distancing without closing down the economy.

#2020 may opinions #ai #online education #podcast