Artificial intelligence researchers at Facebook claim they have developed software that can predict the likelihood of a Covid patient deteriorating or needing oxygen based on their chest X-rays. Facebook, which worked with academics at NYU Langone Health's predictive analytics unit and department of radiology on the research, says that the software could help doctors avoid sending at-risk patients home too early, while also helping hospitals plan for oxygen demand. The 10 researchers involved in the study -- five from Facebook AI Research and five from the NYU School of Medicine -- said they have developed three machine-learning "models" in total, that are all slightly different. One tries to predict patient deterioration based on a single chest X-ray, another does the same with a sequence of X-rays, and a third uses a single X-ray to predict how much supplemental oxygen (if any) a patient might need. "Our model using sequential chest X-rays can predict up to four days (96 hours) in advance if a patient may need more intensive care solutions, generally outperforming predictions by human experts," the authors said in a blog post published Friday.

Facebook usually relies on the manual removal of offensive content based on user feedback. Now they're looking to improve the process by developing AI. The algorithm is still being tested. The goal of the new tech is to remove questionable content as fast as possible, including during live-streaming. The criteria for censorship aims at nudity and violence.