The rise of AI applications has been a significant success story in the field of technology in the past decade. As India is still battling the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers, scientists, IT companies, and entrepreneurs have stepped up to find out new ways in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. From understanding the structure and preventing the spread of the coronavirus to detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients, large organizations and start-ups in India are doing their best to develop AI-based solutions to fight the ongoing pandemic in India.
According to a report by PwC, there has been a 45 % rise in the adoption of artificial intelligence amidst the pandemic. This percentage rise has been the highest among other countries around the world.
The ‘Global AI Adoption Index 2021’ of IBM has shown that the need for AI has been increasing rapidly due to the changing business requirements because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new market research performed by IBM revealed that nearly one-third of IT organizations across the globe have embraced artificial intelligence.
AI-based solutions to tackle COVID-19
Here are the various AI applications and information on how AI-based solutions are being used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Detection and diagnosis of COVID-19
- The RT-PCR test is widely used in India for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
- However, this test is quite stretched and is used by all diagnostic centers in India. Sometimes, RT-PCR can fail to detect the new mutant variants as well.
- There is added pressure on the health management system as more people are opting for CT scans and chest X-rays for diagnosis.
- The facilities for Computerized tomography (CT) are quite expensive and not available everywhere in India, especially in remote areas.
- Defence Research and Development Organization has developed Atman AI, a COVID-19 detection AI application.
- Atman AI has the potential to detect COVID-19 infection and the severity from radiological images of the lungs within a few seconds.
- Atman AI is based on machine learning and can classify chest X-rays as normal, COVID-19 positive, and pneumonia.
- It has shown an accuracy of nearly 97 percent in detecting COVID-19 from the X-ray scans of RT-PCR positive patients.
- A Mumbai-based start-up ‘Qure.ai’ has developed Qxr, a chest X-ray screening tool that functions on deep learning algorithms. This automated tool can identify abnormal findings in the chest X-ray in under a minute.
- COVIRAP is a fast and low-cost method of COVID-19 detection developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. It consists of a pre-programmable automated temperature control unit, a detection unit based on genomic analysis, and a tailor-made smartphone app for the results.
Managing law and order
- In order to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, the Telangana police are making use of a technological application powered by AI.
- This AI software is linked to the CCTV cameras that are located across the state.
- This AI-based system enables the Telangana police to identify and catch hold of people who are violating the law by not wearing a mask on the road.
- Using this AI-powered surveillance tool, data extraction of the violators is possible by the Telangana police. All the data stored in the system is secure and in encrypted form.
- The Telangana police are also making use of drone technology developed by the tech company named Cyient to manage and monitor situations, especially in congested areas.
- Glimpse Analytics, a Pune-based start-up is making use of its AI analytics device to alert retailers and shops to identify people not wearing masks and not following social distancing norms.
Health management
- Yellow Messenger Cares was launched by Yellow Messenger, a conversational AI platform.
- The main purpose behind launching Yellow Messenger Cares was to develop COVID-19 related cross-channel help chatbots for hospitals, NGOs, medical and healthcare support groups, and businesses to boost their health management efforts.
Information
- MyGov ‘Saathi’ is an AI-powered chatbot that helps to provide precise and latest information related to COVID-19 to the users.
- Saathi was an outcome of a partnership between Accenture and Microsoft with the Government of India’s Digital India Corporation.
- It is capable of handling 300,000 users each day.
- Similar to Saathi, a WhatsApp-based chatbot named ‘Introbot’ provides users with a verified database about the availability of beds in hospitals, oxygen cylinders, plasma, and other medical supplies.
Drug repurposing
- Drug development and discovery is quite exhausting and an expensive process.
- AI-based solutions are being used to repurpose drugs and find out a cure for COVID-19.
- With the increased use of AI-based solutions in India, it is clear that AI can not only be used for epidemic management at a state level, but also for managing a pandemic like COVID-19.
- An Indo-German company ‘Innoplexus’ has been testing the potential and capabilities of Hydroxychloroquine (drug used for malaria treatment) and Remdesivir (drug used for Ebola treatment) against the Coronavirus.
- In 2020, the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology in Delhi developed a drug repurposing AI model. This model helps in choosing the drug that has been effective on viruses having genomic structure similar to that of the Coronavirus.
AI applications have shown tremendous success in early diagnosis, contact tracing, tracking, preventing the spreading of inaccurate information, and providing useful information on the development of vaccines and drugs against the Coronavirus. AI is a powerful resource that has not just aided India’s fight against the Coronavirus but always enhanced the functioning of the healthcare industry.
