Facebook has all the information, it has all your friends’ and your data, it knows what you like, your guilty pleasures, what are your habits, and so on. This sounds scary for most of people, but the fact is that the company may know you well, even more than your family and friends are not so reassuring. However, the data Facebook has can be practical for a lot of different research goals.
Now, Facebook has shared a new AI-powered map that is about the spread of COVID-19 all over the United States.
As you can see in the image above, the map gives an overview of how the COVID-19 is predicted to rise by Facebook’s AI systems, which may help health professionals and other better expect demand.
As per Facebook‘s explanation:
“COVID-19 has advanced rapidly and unpredictably, stifling reopening plans in some states and introducing new hotspots in others. This potential for resurgence underscores the need for better understanding of the disease’s progression geographically.”
Facebook stated that the forecast has been improved using public, and non-Facebook information is not a mirror of the concerning number of insights that Facebook has on you. However, again, some parts are related to the network insights of Facebook.
Previously, Facebook has shared data on movement trends by people about the Australian wildfires to help with planning resources. Also, last year, Facebook published a report that looks at the local connectedness of different US communities based on their regions. All the datasets that you may assume will also be useful in this matter, and as Facebook is using publicly accessible data, the elements that are available as well will assist in improving these anticipations.
The project highlights the value of big datasets, and how Facebook will play a big part in helping in response efforts to these incidents. Facebook has to run cautiously, the last thing it needs is a situation type of Cambridge Analytica, that was caused by sharing all the users’ information with academics. However, there are means that Facebook may use its datasets for the good of the public.
Facebook just needs to avoid scaring people too much with this process.
