Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, are working on rapid identification of Covid-19 biomarkers in blood plasma using Raman spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions. It is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material. According to the team, using artificial intelligence and deep learning, the Covid-19 detection process will be automated and rapid and there will be no requirement of any extraction procedure. "It is of critical importance to develop new technologies that can rapidly detect Covid-19 and perform mass testing, and at the same are cost-effective. In this regard, Raman spectroscopy holds significant promise," according to Dipankar Nandi, Professor at IISc Bangalore and principal investigator of the project.

The US government funding in artificial intelligence has fallen short and the country needs to invest in research, train an AI-ready workforce and apply the technology to national security missions, a government-commissioned panel led by Google's former CEO said in an interim report on Monday. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), created by Congress last year, raised concerns about the progress China has made in this area. It also said the US government still faces enormous work before it can transition AI from "a promising technological novelty into a mature technology integrated into core national security missions." The commission thinks an allied effort on AI in the realm of national security is important, Robert Work, vice chairman of the NSCAI and a former deputy secretary of defense, told reporters. The NSCAI has spoken with Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union, Work said. The challenge US officials face is that American industry and academic leaders have said that any such restrictions would harm the US economy.