Artificial intelligence can be used to tackle COVID-19 inequities

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2022 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help tackle inequities that contribute to a higher risk of the most vulnerable contracting and dying of COVID-19, but York University researchers say the right data is crucial for that to happen. Vulnerable people are often more exposed to COVID-19 through their work, such as meat packing plants, and their living conditions which are often crowed, and they face more economic barriers, such having to rely on public transportation. York University Assistant Professor Jude Kong, Associate Professor Ali Asgary, and Distinguished Research Professor Jianhong Wu, can discuss how AI can play a role in eliminating inequities, especially during crises such as the current pandemic, ahead of upcoming webinar – Discovering COVID-19 Inequities and Systemic Vulnerabilities the Role of Artificial Intelligent Policy Implications. The webinar is part of the Transformative Disaster Risk Governance Webinar Series. "There is a need to use artificial intelligence to collect data disaggregated by race, gender, sexuality, class, geographic location and Indigeneity to better understand how COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting vulnerable people, whether here in Canada or in Africa, where many countries have difficulty obtaining vaccines. This kind of data could not only help with today's pandemic, but prepare for future crises by ensuring effective allocation of resources," says Kong, Faculty of Science, and director of the Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium.