Pandemics such as swine flu and COVID-19 have shown us the enormous potential of AI-based prediction and disease surveillance. In the case of monkey pox, the virus is already circulating in African countries, but has now made the leap internationally. With the help of AI it is better possible to contain the virus. In the first instance, this involves the real-time inventory and collection of data on infection rates. AI can then be used to prevent spread. The good news is that WHO does not expect the global monkeypox virus outbreak to develop into a pandemic.
AI and autonomous flying drones
Artificial intelligence is no longer a technology of the distant future and is now all around us. Many different sectors use smart machines that take heavy work off people’s hands. But AI is also paving the way for future-oriented technology such as self-driving cars. Artificial intelligence even makes autonomous flying drones possible, as shown by extensive tests on May 30, 2022 at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
How are viruses controlled with AI?
Artificial intelligence is also becoming an increasingly important technology in healthcare. For example, AI systems can already analyze images with great accuracy for the presence of breast cancer, for example. AI is playing an increasingly important role in the fight against viruses. This is done by following huge data flows (big data) in a way that a human cannot. For example, an AI platform can analyze data from government reports, social media, news sites and other online sources to monitor the worldwide spread of, for example, corona or monkey pox.
Artificial intelligence also helped a Michigan State University researcher and his team find answers about the new omicron variant. The researchers report that omicron and other variants develop increased infectivity and antibody resistance according to an artificial intelligence model. Thus, it becomes clear that new vaccines and new and antibody therapies are needed.
Artificial intelligence offers a wide range of options
AI can also be data for social media mining, so that it is better understood when the next peak of infection will occur. But AI is used in countless other ways with regard to viruses. Think, for example, of treating and recognizing covid in a more targeted way. An example concerns patients affected by COVID-19 who often have to remain under treatment (for a longer period of time) after recovery for the lung damage suffered. The ICOVAI consortium is working for this group on the development of AI technology that can better analyze the relevant lung damage. This analysis can also contribute to the choice of the right treatment method.
Finally, another possibility offered by artificial intelligence is to examine the genome of viruses that infect animals in order to predict whether they can jump from animals to humans. In short, artificial intelligence offers a wide range of smart options to fight viruses and prevent the outbreak of pandemics where possible.