Applications of artificial intelligence in COVID-19 clinical response measures

In a recent study published in PLOS Digital Health, researchers reviewed existing literature on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care to characterize the AI applications used in the clinical applications during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, investigate the location, timing, and extent of AI use in healthcare, and examine the United States (U.S.) regulatory approval processes. Despite the large number of approvals granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to AI applications in healthcare in the last six years, the adoption of AI applications in different areas of healthcare has been limited. Furthermore, there is limited information on the development and use of AI applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, unlike the significant and rapid growth in telehealth and vaccine technologies. While previous reviews have reviewed the potential uses, challenges, and impacts of AI applications for COVID-19 clinical response, many of the reviews found methodological flaws and potential biases in the use of AI applications in clinical practice. A scarcity of reviews provides a comprehensive report on the development, testing, and applications of AI in COVID-19 clinical responses.