Chatbots are screening for the new coronavirus — and turning up cases of the flu
SAN FRANCISCO — As the new coronavirus spreads, health-tech startups with medical chatbots are scrambling to update their algorithms to screen feverish and coughing Americans and advise whether they should be evaluated for infection with the virus.
So far, these artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are turning up lots of people with the flu. That’s unsurprising at this time of year. It speaks to the small number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. — and how hard it may ultimately be for AI systems to differentiate among the myriad pathogens that cause the same flu-like symptoms that a mild case of the new virus appears to cause.
