Alibaba COVID-19 analysis, a landmark in Artificial intelligence

Alibaba comes up with an artificial intelligence code to analyze a CT scan of COVID-19. The smart image-reading system aids fast diagnosis of COVID-19. Is this medical imaging technique new?

Artificial intelligence, Image credit: www.iqlect.com

---

Smart image analysis has been a growing technique used in our day-to-day life. The decade of research is implemented as a scanning bar code, classifying images, face recognition, optical character recognition, etc., in every smartphone. As an extension, clinical productivity increased with medical imaging intelligent analysis. For all these functions, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm enhances efficiency.

A chest radiograph or computed tomography (CT) scan becomes an assessment (diagnosis) tool of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from mid-January 2020. World Health Organization (WHO) standardized the laboratory testing guidelines for the COVID-19 in suspected human cases. Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), and Serological Test are the standard methods to diagnose COVID-19. The conventional ways to diagnose COVID-19 take 12-36 h for the result if we have all set right. The time-delayed testing process of the suspected cases results in lagging the chance for early treatment or quarantine. Thus, it requires quick and fast analytical techniques rather than the biochemical method for the rapid spreading of COVID-19.

As an alternative to the standard methods, the worldwide investigation has come up with a CT scan for diagnosing COVID-19. CT scan occupied a prominent stage in China for COVID-19 diagnosis because of the high spreading rate and shortage of testing kits. Radiologists and doctors review the CT scan images for abnormalities based on the description in medical charts. However, disagreements between the reviewers confuse the analysis. The massive volume of the image read in a short duration is a must for the treatment or prognosis of the patient. These requirements result in the smart reading system using AI.

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. [Alibaba] launched a smart image reading system for COVID-19 diagnosis on February 19, 2020. The AI can smartly read the abnormalities within 15 s and is capable of comparing multiple CT scan images of the same subject.

“Patients with COVID-19 need multiple CT scans during the treatment. Comparing multiple images is a time-consuming task and it cannot be accurately completed manually. Utilizing Ping An Smart Healthcare’s COVID-19 smart image-reading system, it can effectively improve the diagnostic accuracy and the doctor’s image-reading efficiency.” - Dr. Xiao Jing, Chief Scientist, Ping An

The outbreak of COVID-19 needs such a powerful tool for quick diagnosis, control and prevention of spreading, and treatment. Although, whatever intelligence exhibited on the screen, a specialist needs to handle it properly.

---

Related post

3 Methods to diagnose COVID-19
General Treatment and Recovery of CORONAVIRUS
5 Important Steps To Control The Pandemic CORONAVIRUS
Psychological effect vs immune system, raises the pandemic conditions of COVID-19

---

Author(s)

Prabakaran Shankar & Lakshmishri Prabakaran

---

For more reads

Medical Imaging

Smart Health in Medical Image Analysis. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28565-4_20

Artificial intelligence

Google AI: https://ai.google/

Microsoft AI: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai?activetab=pivot1%3aprimaryr5

Facebook AI: https://ai.facebook.com/

Amazon AI: https://aws.amazon.com/ai/

Alibaba AI: https://www.alibabacloud.com/solutions/intelligence-brain

Launching of Smart image reading system [Alibaba]: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ping-an-launches-covid-19-smart-image-reading-system-to-help-control-the-epidemic-301013282.html

---