Even as AI is being enlisted to fight the coronavirus, says one observer, it’s important that we also use it to help overworked, frontline healthcare workers.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, remote patient monitoring and early detection have both been vital to ensuring patient and provider safety. 

The virtual assistant has been used by businesses in recent years to run data collection and analysis, with a natural language engine able to understand and respond to conversational speech.

Demand for AI in healthcare is unlikely to diminish, says one cybersecurity researcher, so dialogue about how to use AI safely and ethically is critical.

Considered a coronavirus success story, the country’s efforts have also raised broader worries that privacy is being sacrificed for epidemiological gains.

It may be permissible to invoke the coronavirus pandemic for breaking privacy norms in the short run, say two data experts, but over the long term open access to valuable data can’t be allowed.

The tool was developed by Buoy Health, a digital health company focused on providing personalized clinical support through technology.

According to the company, it uses AI to accurately identify workers comp claims much earlier and more effectively than conventional techniques, while also optimizing medical networks to help find the right doctors for each claim.

As the COVID-19 crisis pushes “unseen sufferers” of other conditions away from the healthcare system, AI can help identify who will benefit most from proactive intervention and alternative modes of engagement.