Facebook to Use AI in Predicting if COVID-19 Patients Need Better Healthcare

American social media giant Facebook is publishing a research conducted by its artificial intelligence (AI) unit in an effort to help healthcare providers predict in advance if a COVID-19 patient may need more intensive care solutions and adjust resources accordingly.

Facebook in a recent detailed blog post said that it had developed two AI models, one based on a single chest X-ray, and another from a series of X-rays that could help forecast if a patient infected by COVID-19 is likely to get worse. A third model predicts the amount of extra oxygen a COVID-19 patient might need.

The research, which can help produce predictions based on chest X-rays, has been done in collaboration with NYU Langone Health's Predictive Analytics Unit and Department of Radiology.

Facebook's AI models in general did a better job than a human when it came to forecasting a patient's need for more intensive care resources up to four days in advance.

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