How will AI/ML play a role in predicting future outbreaks and producing vaccines?
Two AI companies, BlueDot and HealthMap, which use algorithms to predict outbreak of infectious diseases, claim to have flagged the outbreak of Covid-19 earlier than any human did. These companies use data on local news, healthcare reports, flights, and more. An IBM supercomputer has been used to narrow down the choice of likely drugs for treatment of the disease. But the utility of AI in predicting pandemics and producing vaccines remains an open question. Making it more reliable would require greater volume and better quality of data, and greater computing power.
Points to consider:
Predicting and monitoring outbreaks
Points to consider:
- What kind and volume of data would be needed to predict and monitor outbreaks of pandemics?
- How can computers play a greater role in producing treatments and vaccines?
Predicting and monitoring outbreaks
- AI could help with the next pandemic but not this one
- How AI Is Tracking the Coronavirus Outbreak
- How Baidu is bringing AI to the fight against coronavirus
- A deep learning algorithm using CT images to screen for COVID-19
- Computer Scientists Are Building Algorithms to Tackle COVID-19
- Real-time dashboard to monitor flu
How will Big Tech counter misinformation?
Covid-19 might be the first true “misinfodemic” of our times, but unless urgent action is taken, it certainly won’t be the last. It starts with the US President’s Twitter handle, and extends all the way to that Whatsapp text forwarded by your grandmother’s cousin’s friend. The content of misinformation - the virus is a weapon, nay, a hoax; consuming a cocktail of untested drugs cures it - might vary, but it’s tied by the common thread of causing serious harm. The tweet below by a senior Chinese official is just one example of a large-scale disinformation campaign being waged by China, as reported by ProPublica (link in references). Big Tech has moved fast to counter misinformation, but has it moved fast enough?
References
- ProPublica - How China Built a Twitter Propaganda Machine Then Let It Loose on Coronavirus
- Safeguards against Trump’s tweets
- How One Particular Coronavirus Myth Went Viral
- Russia’s role in spreading coronavirus misinformation
- Social media giants should pay up for allowing misinformation
- The reality of a “misinfodemic” is a well-intended WhatsApp message
- MIT Tech Review - Here’s how social media can combat the coronavirus ‘infodemic’
- The coronavirus is forcing tech giants to make a risky bet on AI
- MIT Tech Review - WhatsApp Is at the Center of Coronavirus Response
Will the outbreak accelerate development of animal-free meat?
nCov isn’t the first virus to come from unregulated animal markets, and won’t be the last. Short of turning vegetarian, what’s the best way to steer clear of such viruses? Simple: eat animal-free meats made either through plants or in labs. But if it was really that simple, these new meats would already be ruling taste buds. There are predictions that, by 2035, the entire animal farming industry will collapse with the rise of what’s creatively called “food-as-software”. How realistic is this?
Points to consider:
Points to consider:
- Will consumers pay extra and eat less delicious meat to avoid falling sick?
- Will governments and the private sector now make greater investments in this industry?
How will the coronavirus-enforced school closures, as well as the shift from in-person to online classes, change the future of education?
As universities and schools move online, students' experience and learning outcomes will inevitably drop and comparisons with edtech portals will become unavoidable. Completing a certified course on most edtech platforms usually costs well under $100. By comparison, a coronavirus-enforced online course at a US university could cost upward of $5000. Another competing model will be Georgia Tech's online Master of Computer Science, offered for $7-10k. Will elite universities manage to retain their halo, or will Ox-Bridge come to be replaced by Course(ra)-ed(X)? What will happen to the multitudes of those, especially in developing countries, who lack the means to access online education?
Points to consider:
References:
Points to consider:
- What are the access and equity issues with online learning, both within and between countries?
- What fundamental changes - such as shortening the duration of college - will online education bring about?
- In future, will the quality of online learning offered by universities play a role in students' choice?
- How well will teachers and students adapt to online learning?
- Are some subjects better suited to online learning than others?
- How well will teachers and students adapt to online learning?
- How will schools/universities and edtech companies compete and collaborate?
- Which innovations will improve the experience of online learning?
- Will universities open their (virtual) doors to more people at affordable costs?
- How would the expected drop in international enrollments affect Western universities?
References:
- Access and equity
- Coronavirus is poised to inflame inequality in schools
- Forbes - Distance Learning During The Coronavirus Pandemic: Equity And Access Questions For School Leaders
- Future of education
- WEF - 3 ways the coronavirus pandemic could reshape education
- NYT - What Is a College Education in the Time of Coronavirus?
- Coronavirus doesn't change the need for shared university governance
- As Coronavirus Spreads, the Decision to Move Classes Online Is the First Step. What Comes Next?
- Impact on universities' finances
Will the outbreak spur development of autonomous technologies such as delivery drones and robots?
The glut of online orders during Covid-19 has led to the unprecedented situation described in the tweet below. Delivery drones, by bypassing the need for manpower, might be capable of freeing up part of the bottleneck. They can also be used to provide medical supplies, as is already being done in some parts of the world. In other uses, robots are already being used in monitoring and treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Points to consider:
Points to consider:
- What are the technological and regulatory hurdles in development and widespread use of autonomous technologies, especially in the areas of goods delivery and medical usage?
- Will the need for expedient approvals overlook some important regulatory hurdles?
- Reuters - China virus may fast-track drone flight
- Forbes - Why The Use Of Drones Still Faces Big Regulatory Hurdles
- Blood supply through drones
- Coronavirus Lockdown Sees Renewed Interest in Drone Deliveries As UPS Partners with Wingcopter
- Robot zaps hospital viruses
- Is Covid increasing adoption of driverless technology?
- Coronavirus could hasten the adoption of autonomous vehicles