Business

New $500K, four-month competition aims to accelerate use of artificial intelligence to minimize coronavirus infection cases while reducing the economic cost of lockdowns.

The competition aims to harness the power of data and artificial intelligence in equipping policymakers, health officials, and business leaders with the insights and guidance necessary to implement public safety measures that maximize their ability to keep local economies open while minimizing potential virus breakouts.

Reports indicate that a COVID-19 vaccine may be on the horizon, making the speed at which populations are vaccinated a key variable in considering strategies for safely reopening society and restoring the global economy.

Based on technology and AI models developed by Cognizant, and using data compiled by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (based at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government), competing teams will build data-driven AI models that predict local COVID-19 transmission rates and prescribe intervention and mitigation measures that, with testing in “what-if” scenarios, are shown to minimize infection rates as well as negative economic impacts. Successful models may also serve as a roadmap for future crises.

“This challenge will inspire some of the world’s brightest innovators to address the immediate threats to our economies and our livelihoods,” said Amir Banifatemi, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer of XPRIZE. “Through global collaboration, the output of this challenge could be a game changer when it comes to using data and AI to create a route to recovery via a range of economic scenarios created by the competing teams. With vaccines on the horizon, these predictive and prescriptive models for opening society will continue to be valuable for the foreseeable future.”

“The road forward on reopening global economies will be paved by collaboration,” said Brian Humphries, Chief Executive Officer of Cognizant. “We are pleased to partner with XPRIZE in drawing together a global, cross-disciplined ecosystem of innovators to put their AI expertise to work in helping us emerge from this pandemic. As these teams leverage Cognizant’s foundational Evolutionary AI™ research, we look forward to the solutions they will contribute in helping decision-makers address COVID-19 and future humanitarian crises.”

“COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of AI’s ability to predict impending outbreaks of disease and accurately diagnose symptoms,” said Chaesub Lee, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. “The potential of AI to advance health has been a longstanding pillar of the AI for Good movement co-organized with XPRIZE. Responding to this critical issue, I am pleased to continue our valuable partnership and support the Pandemic Response Challenge.”