April 6, Chinese Institute of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies (CINGAI) held an online seminar on AI technology’s role in the fighting against the epidemic. This seminar aims to give full play to the respective advantages of medical, scientific and educational institutions, to further summarize experience, find problems, gather consensus and to promote cooperation. Participants of the seminar include Gong Ke (Executive Dean of CINGAI, President of World’s Federation of Engineering Organizations, WFEO), Ye Zhewei (Chief Physician of Wuhan Union Orthopaedic Hospital), Tian Jie (Researcher of Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CASIA), Xu Bo (Chief Member of Cancer Artificial Intelligence Committee of China Anti-Cancer Association, Vice Dean of Tianjin Medical University Tumor Hospital), Xiang Rong (Specially-appointed Professor of Nankai University’s School of Medicine), Fang Yongchun (Dean of Nankai University’s School of Artificial Intelligence) and Yuan Xiaojie (Dean of Nankai University’s College of Computer Science and College of Cyber Science). Prof. Cheng Mingming from College of Computer Science and Nankai University’s representative at the CINGAI attended the seminar at Balitai campus.

Dr. Ye Zhewei, Prof. Cheng Mingming and Prof. Xu Bo introduced the researches of their teams and the significance of the projects in the prevention and control of the epidemic. Experts and scholars discussed about their experiences in the fighting against the epidemic, R&D and application progress of relevant technologies home and abroad, as well as international cooperation. Their topics include how to make better use of intelligent image diagnosis, how to comprehensively use AI technologies to find out the epidemic earlier and faster, how to deeply integrate big data of medical industry, urban and transportation to build a more effective public health system; how to make full use of big data and provide effective AI support for countries, especially for the underdeveloped ones, etc.

Participants agreed that in the human battle against the epidemic, AI technology can play a larger role. To achieve this goal, the analysis and application of mass medical data is of great significance. On the premise of protecting personal privacy and national interests, it is necessary to speed up the establishment of standard data sets, to standardize the collection and utilization of medical data and to increase the strength of AI in the fighting against the epidemic.

To summarize, Prof. Gong Ke pointed out that when applying AI technology it is important to develop the technology based on the demand in the fighting against the epidemic home and abroad. AI technology is able to be fully applied in early warning and prevention, screening and diagnosis, rescue and nursing, virus research and drug development and other links in the prevention and control. During the process, researchers should pay attention to timely sum up experience and find problems, so as to better implement the major science and technology projects of national new generation of artificial intelligence, to better promote the development and the implementation of “AI+” in all areas, to better support the construction of new infrastructure, and to better provide CINGAI’s wisdom as think tank. The CINGAI should also take advantage of interdisciplinary development platform, closely contact scientific researchers at home and abroad at all systems and all industries, summarize the experience of scientific and technological in the anti-epidemic, and provide more reference and operational programs for other countries to fight against the epidemic through the WFEO and other channels.

Since the foundation in 2017, the CINGAI has been devoting to the study and to the deep integration of the AI and substantial economy, promoting the AI industry’s development. During the epidemic, the CINGAI’s experts keep a keen eye on AI’s development in assisting prevention and control of the epidemic, investigate and collect typical cases and data, strengthens the cooperation with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), Tencent, and Tianjin Haihe Media Group, and contribute in S&T anti-epidemic and MSE resumption through collaborative researches, online open courses, news interviews etc.

(Reported by Lei Gao, Translated by Yuchen Shi,Edited by Davide Francolino and JianjingYun)