Reducing contagion - Ping An’s AI team in China can now predict flu outbreaks with 90 per cent accuracy

Ping An is looking at disease prevention, especially illnesses that are contagious like flu or lifestyle-related, such as heart disease or diabetes

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Artificial intelligence is pushing smart health care technology. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:30am, 22 Sep 2019Updated: 11:19pm, 22 Sep 2019

Advances in artificial intelligence technology have already allowed health care authorities to screen for diseases such as cancer and retinopathy more efficiently and speed up drug discovery, but what’s next?

One avenue being pursued is the prevention of disease in the first place, especially illnesses that are contagious like flu or lifestyle-related, such as diabetes and heart disease.

“Disease prevention and control has been a high priority for national health systems across the world,” said Xiao Jing, chief scientist at Ping An Group, in a recent interview. “If we can spot the risk at a preliminary stage and make early treatment, it will not only alleviate the suffering of patents but also lower overall medical expenses.”

To this end, Ping An Technology, a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance, is helping health care authorities in the mainland cities of Chongqing and Shenzhen predict flu outbreaks ahead of time with accuracy rates of over 90 per cent. It is also looking at extending its disease forecasting capabilities into other areas such as the incidence of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular issues at a regional level.

Xiao Jing, chief scientist of Ping An Group, speaks at the Shanghai World Artificial Intelligence Conference in late August.Photo: Handout

Backed by deep learning technologies, the prediction models use case reports from participating hospitals, historical data from regional health authorities and meteorological and environmental statistics.

The resultant predictions – such as the probability of a flu or foot-and-mouth disease outbreak – can then be circulated as warning alerts on apps used by relevant city authorities, said Xiao.