While the talk of the town, coronavirus, is testing the value of artificial intelligence in the field of medicine, the environmental applications of AI towards saving coral reefs are becoming more rampant.
Coronavirus tests the value of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Implementation of AI is less common in everyday clinical applications as compared to the hype around it. But it paints a different picture when it comes to AI’s applications to address COVID-19 healthcare.
Researchers at John Hopkins University won a National Science Foundation grant to predict heart damage in COVID-19 patients with the help of AI.
Also, two major hospitals in New York city are using AI algorithms to decide when and how patients should move to the next phase of care, or sent home.
Mount Sinai Health System uses AI to identify which patients might be ready to be discharged from the hospital in the next 72 hours. Although AI here is a conversation starter of sorts and not the decision-maker.
At NYU Langone Health, a similar AI model is used to predict whether a COVID-19 patient will suffer adverse events in the next four days.
Scripps Health clinicians stratify patients to assess the risk of getting COVID-19 and experiencing severe symptoms. It uses a risk scoring model considering factors like age, recent hospital visits, and chronic conditions.
Robot Divers Could Use Artificial Intelligence to Save Coral Reefs
Scientists are attempting to restore coral reefs and even though they have succeeded at restoring some, humans alone can’t save all reefs dying across the globe. Given the best conditions, a human diver can spend only three to four hours a day.
Half of the world’s coral reefs have died and the remaining is expected to perish in this century. The existing coral reefs form 25% of the ocean’s biodiversity and support fisheries that contribute billions to the global economy and feeds millions.
The underwater artificial technology in robotics used by the offshore oil and gas industry is a promising area to explore for saving coral reefs. The heavy equipment operating at great depths, if modified, could be used for the said purpose to work closer to the surface using delicate tools.
Also, AI is already functional in sensing objects and animal species in underwater imagery. Now it is to wait and see how the technology around saving coral reefs shapes up as a lot of pieces are already out there.
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