Becker's Healthcare January 19, 2022
Facing the biggest public health emergency of our time, big data and artificial intelligence seemed poised to transform our lives, yet fell short, according to an op-ed published in PLOS Digital Health on Jan. 18.
Digital data is generated constantly through people’s use of wearables, home sensors, purchases and mobile devices. Throughout the pandemic, many technology companies made their data available, creating apps to fight COVID-19, from social distancing dashboards to symptom-based COVID-19 maps. However, the authors argued this data did not turn into meaningful action in the fight against the pandemic.
The authors were part of the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network, the goal of which was to help turn digital data from tech companies into tools that would aid communities. However,...