Pandemic is showing us we need safe and ethical AI more than ever

Machine-learning models are trained on human behavior and excel at highlighting predictable or "normal" behaviors and patterns. However, the sudden onset of a global pandemic caused a massive change in human behavior that by some accounts has caused automation to go into a "tailspin," exposing fragilities in integrated systems we have come to rely upon. The realization of the scale and scope of these vulnerabilities -- which affect operations ranging from inventory management to global supply chain logistics -- comes at a time when we need artificial intelligence (AI) more than ever. For example, AI technologies are enabling contact tracing applications that may help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. And amidst widespread testing shortages, hospitals have started to use AI technologies to help diagnose COVID-19 patients.