Could AI soon let us diagnose Covid-19 simply by a cough?

The sound of one's cough could be enough for AI to determine whether it's related to a case of Covid-19. — mustafagull/IStock.com/AFP

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States have developed a technique based on machine learning to detect whether someone who is asymptomatic could be a carrier of Covid-19 simply by the sound of their cough. The idea is to be able to very quickly diagnose – using artificial intelligence – whether someone is infected with covid-19. The first results are already promising.

If you become worried as soon as you cough or hear the cough of someone close to you, then you may be interested in this new breakthrough. Because while it's difficult to distinguish 50 different nuances of coughs by ear, artificial intelligence can compare thousands of cases.