Rabat – Moroccan-born professor of computer science at New York University (NYU) Dr. Anasse Bari has designed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to analyze and curb the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Managing a team of researchers at NYU, Bari helped create and study the efficacy of an AI instrument to predict patients vulnerable to coronavirus and determine the seriousness of COVID-19 infections.
“Our goal was to design and deploy a decision-support tool using AI capabilities—mostly predictive analytics—to flag future clinical coronavirus severity,” Bari said.
“We hope that the tool, when fully developed, will be useful to physicians as they assess which moderately ill patients really need beds and who can safely go home, with hospital resources stretched thin,” the computer scientist added, in light of the fact that hospital resources are limited as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.
The Moroccan professor holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), and is establishing negotiations between NYU and AUI to use the newly developed technology in tackling the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco.
Although Morocco does not heavily capitalize on AI scientific research and development, Moroccan expatriates have started deploying their expertise in the AI field, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, which necessitates a high level of scientific engagement.
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, a professor at the University of Paris X and an international expert in AI, told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that “artificial intelligence should be integrated into national development policies and strategies in developing countries, drawing on cultures, local values, and knowledge, in order to develop economies, especially in the African countries.”
Seghrouchni also called for the establishment of clear and well-defined rules for responsibly using AI. “We must work to define an ethical and legal framework so that humanity can benefit from scientific progress.”
A newly-appointed member of the World Commission for the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) at UNESCO, Seghrouchni is convinced AI is an essential tool in managing the COVID-19 pandemic while the world waits for an effective vaccine.
The professor and researcher further emphasized that until there is a vaccine for the coronavirus, artificial intelligence could accelerate the discovery and development of drugs.
Read also: How the COVID-19 Pandemic is Teaching Humanity Morals
