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AI detects if YouTubers are infected with omicron coronavirus variant

An artificial intelligence picked up on audio samples where the speaker was probably infected with omicron with 80 per cent accuracy, potentially offering an inexpensive way of tracking cases

By Soumya Sagar

19 January 2023

Researchers have suggested that monitoring audio clips on social media could be a relatively quick, inexpensive way of tracking coronavirus cases in the community

Researchers have suggested that monitoring audio clips on sites like YouTube could be a relatively quick, inexpensive way of tracking coronavirus cases in the community

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An artificial intelligence can detect if YouTubers are infected with the omicron coronavirus variant with up to 80 per cent accuracy. Although vocal changes aren’t considered a key symptom of any coronavirus infection, the researchers behind the AI argue their results suggest a subtle “Omicron-specific laryngitis”.

Monitoring audio samples uploaded to social media could be a relatively quick, inexpensive way of tracking coronavirus cases …

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