New Delhi: Artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a stir in a variety of industries, and now it looks set to solve an enduring problem in the workplace: phony sick days. Researchers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology in Surat have devised a technique to determine whether someone has a cold or not.
The study, which was previously covered by The Economist, involved examining the vocal tics of 630 people, 111 of whom had common colds. To identify the presence of a cold, the researchers focused on harmonics, vocal patterns in human speech. AI algorithms can detect unusual patterns in a person’s harmonics when they have a cold. ,Read also: This employee chose to quit his 6-figure salary job rather than return to the office full-time,
In the experiment, participants were asked to count from 1 to 40, discuss their weekend plans, and recite Aesop’s fable “The North Wind and the Sun.” The AI was 70 percent accurate in identifying a cold from these recordings. ,Also Read: AI Artist Draws Bill Gates, Musk, Zuckerberg, Other Billionaires As World’s Poorest—Check How They Look,
The main objective of the researchers was to make it possible to detect a cold without a visit to the doctor. But this technology could also be a game-changer for businesses that are trying to stop the practice of employees calling in sick in order to get a day off.
This voice-based cold detection technology may be just the beginning of healthcare advances as AI develops and finds new uses. Only time will tell how this technology can be incorporated into the workplace and how it can affect the relationship between employees and employers.
