AI can catch COVID-19 cases based on how people 'produce sound,' MIT researchers find
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have published a paper suggesting artificial intelligence can recognize potential coronavirus cases based on how people sound when they cough, PCMag reports.
The MIT team employed an AI model that was able to accurately identify 98.5 percent of coughs from people who were confirmed to have been infected by the coronavirus. The accuracy actually ticked up to 100 percent among people who were not displaying symptoms. "We think this shows that the way you produce sound changes when you have COVID, even if you're asymptomatic," Brian Subirana, the paper's co-author, said.
The AI was already being used to analyze forced-cough recordings to catch signs of Alzheimer's, and it turned out the researchers didn't have to alter too much to try to pick up patterns specific to the coronavirus, as well.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, the MIT group is working to build an app that uses the AI model that could, in theory, serve as a free, non-invasive way to pre-screen for COVID-19. The app would not serve as a diagnostic tool itself, but would instead determine if a person should take a formal test. Read more at PCMag.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Do medical clowns really work?
Under the Radar Growing body of evidence suggests laughter and joy are key ingredients in a patient's recovery – even among adults
By The Week UK Published
-
How accurate are political polls?
The Explainer And how much should you read into figures ahead of the 2024 election?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 insightful podcasts you may have missed this summer
The Week Recommends A few podcast veterans and a number binge-worthy newcomers created an entertaining summer for podcast listeners
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published