Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to be an increasingly important technology in the COVID-19 era, which is not only helping to counter the pandemic and reduce doctors' exposure to the virus, but also has a potential to spur the much-needed economic recovery, Piero Poccianti, president of the Italian Association of Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA), told Sputnik in an interview
GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2020) Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to be an increasingly important technology in the COVID-19 era, which is not only helping to counter the pandemic and reduce doctors' exposure to the virus, but also has a potential to spur the much-needed economic recovery, Piero Poccianti, president of the Italian Association of Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA), told Sputnik in an interview.
"Coronavirus is something that has made us stumble. In the process of industrialization and growth we found a stone in the middle of the road that made the car jump. It is making us understand that perhaps the entire development model has some problems, as it is based on very old theories, it does not take into account the environment. In this context, artificial intelligence is assuming greater importance. Probably now there is less fear toward artificial intelligence," Poccianti said.
According to the AIxIA president, AI projects that aim to counter the spread of the virus in Italy are all about improving the diagnostic skills, trying to predict the progress of the virus with mathematical models, and optimizing resources. However, there is no unified approach to it across Italy.
"The Brescia hospital, for example, used an AI tool to make an early diagnosis: instead of making a swab test, it is possible to identify with a certain probability that there is the virus after a series of questions, measurements of body temperature etc ... Then obviously the swab test must be done, but robotic tools allow you to speed up the processing of the probes and obtaining of the results, which allows doctors to risk less by coming less into contact with the virus," Poccianti went on.
Moreover, there is an AI project led by Italy and Spain that has built a device that connects to the tv and allows doctors to communicate with a patient and measure certain indicators, such as blood saturation, heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, avoiding direct contact. Italy is now trying to develop tools that can generate automatic alarms, without doctors having to verify everything themselves, the AIxIA chief explained.
Another opportunity that the AI may potentially provide is helping to detect a disease via mobile applications.
"Studies are underway to do the same thing that was done for SARS in Africa: mobile apps were created with which a patient could breathe in the phone, and the app was able to understand if he had a lung problem, analyzing the breath sound produced by the patient," Poccianti stated.
Coronavirus contact tracing app Immuni, meanwhile, is already widely used in Italy.
In addition, robotic systems are gradually engaged in performing swab tests and managing the flow of samples, especially in big laboratories.
The specificity of the virus, at the same time, imposes certain constraints on the use of AI solutions.
Thus, the idea of creating a robot capable of detecting the virus in air or on surfaces seems unlikely or simply inefficient because the concentration of the virus may be just not high enough. At times, a reliable answer can be given only after hours or even days of virus cultivation in the samples in a laboratory.
"I myself thought of an instrument that detects the virus in the air or on surfaces, but for now all the virologists I spoke to have told me that in their opinion it is not possible without going through a process like that of the swab," Poccianti stated.
AI solutions for COVID-19 in Italy lack not only uniformity, but also a government policy to support them, according to AIxIA.
"The Government is far behind in terms of the [AI] strategy, but there are a couple of interesting initiatives: PhD in artificial intelligence, which should become available in early 2021. PhDs are an important tool with which to connect research and companies. This can be a first step," Poccianti said.
The second step is obviously the recently-announced idea of creating the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
"It has only been announced now, but this is getting a growing attention, and it has a possibility to attract resources. I believe there is a lot to do, but the initiatives are in the right direction. France and Germany have already gone much further," the AIxIA president noted.
In July, the Italian Ministry for Economic Development unveiled a national strategy for artificial intelligence, which had been in the pipeline since 2018. It outlines six priorities in AI development, namely robotics and manufacturing, services, transport, aerospace and defense, digital culture.
While the Italian economy needs to recover from the disastrous consequences of the lockdown, AI tools may well create ground for economic growth by helping to optimize resources.
"Economy means 'management of scarce resources in order to obtain results.' We in the past believed that capital and labor were scarce resources, while environmental resources were infinite. This is not the case, which we now understand because of the global warming, plastic pollution, etc. If we focus on sustainable economy, artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool because it optimizes resources. Take, for example, power grids or public administration. It is also necessary to bring the culture of research and business culture closer together, in order to bring together problems and solutions," Poccianti said.
Moreover, artificial intelligence is one of the key areas that can attract money from the EU Recovery Fund, out of which Italy is set to receive 209 billion Euros ($247 billion).
"At this moment, the Government has not yet said anything. Rumors say that the government wants to focus on infrastructures, and there is someone in the government who also points to artificial intelligence," the AIxIA president said.
Poccianti argued that if we think of a sustainable recovery, we need to invest in artificial intelligence, overcome the concept of investing in projects only in the short term and "look even further."
