New XPrize Challenge: Predicting Covid-19's Spread and Prescribing Interventions (ieee.org) 22
Slashdot reader the_newsbeagle shares an article from IEEE Spectrum:
Many associate XPrize with a $10-million award offered in 1996 to motivate a breakthrough in private space flight. But the organization has since held other competitions related to exploration, ecology, and education. And in November, they launched the Pandemic Response Challenge, which will culminate in a $500,000 award to be split between two teams that not only best predict the continuing global spread of COVID-19, but also prescribe policies to curtail it...
For Phase 1, teams had to submit prediction models by 22 December... Up to 50 teams will make it to Phase 2, where they must submit a prescription model... The top two teams will split half a million dollars. The competition may not end there. Amir Banifatemi, XPrize's chief innovation and growth officer, says a third phase might test models on vaccine deployment prescriptions. And beyond the contest, some cities or countries might put some of the Phase 2 or 3 models into practice, if Banifatemi can find adventurous takers.
The organizers expect a wide variety of solutions. Banifatemi says the field includes teams from AI strongholds such as Stanford, Microsoft, MIT, Oxford, and Quebec's Mila, but one team consists of three women in Tunisia. In all, 104 teams from 28 countries have registered. "We're hoping that this competition can be a springboard for developing solutions for other really big problems as well," Miikkulainen says. Those problems include pandemics, global warming, and challenges in business, education, and healthcare. In this scenario, "humans are still in charge," he emphasizes. "They still decide what they want, and AI gives them the best alternatives from which the decision-makers choose."
But Miikkulainen hopes that data science can help humanity find its way. "Maybe in the future, it's considered irresponsible not to use AI for making these policies," he says.
For the Covid-19 competition, Banifatemi emphasized that one goal was "to make the resulting insights available freely to everyone, in an open-source manner — especially for all those communities that may not have access to data and epidemiology divisions, statisticians, or data scientists."
For Phase 1, teams had to submit prediction models by 22 December... Up to 50 teams will make it to Phase 2, where they must submit a prescription model... The top two teams will split half a million dollars. The competition may not end there. Amir Banifatemi, XPrize's chief innovation and growth officer, says a third phase might test models on vaccine deployment prescriptions. And beyond the contest, some cities or countries might put some of the Phase 2 or 3 models into practice, if Banifatemi can find adventurous takers.
The organizers expect a wide variety of solutions. Banifatemi says the field includes teams from AI strongholds such as Stanford, Microsoft, MIT, Oxford, and Quebec's Mila, but one team consists of three women in Tunisia. In all, 104 teams from 28 countries have registered. "We're hoping that this competition can be a springboard for developing solutions for other really big problems as well," Miikkulainen says. Those problems include pandemics, global warming, and challenges in business, education, and healthcare. In this scenario, "humans are still in charge," he emphasizes. "They still decide what they want, and AI gives them the best alternatives from which the decision-makers choose."
But Miikkulainen hopes that data science can help humanity find its way. "Maybe in the future, it's considered irresponsible not to use AI for making these policies," he says.
For the Covid-19 competition, Banifatemi emphasized that one goal was "to make the resulting insights available freely to everyone, in an open-source manner — especially for all those communities that may not have access to data and epidemiology divisions, statisticians, or data scientists."
a little late (Score:2)
A little late, I'd say.
By the time anybody wins the prize, the prediction will be entirely a prediction of 'how effective is the vaccine, and how well is it being distributed?'
I predict everyone will die. (Score:2)
But how do I get my prize?
Oh, wait! (Score:2)
Humanity's extinction IS my prize! :D
"three women in Tunisia" (Score:2)
Or "three Tunisians" as normal, non-sexist people would call them.
Re: (Score:2)
Neil Armstrong wasn't the first man on the moon. He was the first person on the moon.
Re: (Score:2)
He was both.
Re: (Score:2)
He was the first mammal on the moon, too!
What? (Score:2)
but also prescribe policies to curtail it...
Can I win this prize because here's my answer. Wear a mask when around other people. Stay at least six feet away from other people. Don't congregate in large groups. Wash your hands. Don't pick your nose.
It's almost as if I've heard these policies before.
Re: (Score:3)
The mask has been proven not to work,
Which is why surgeons don't wear masks when doing open heart surgery. Nor anyone else in the operating room. If you have "proof" masks don't work, show it.
Distancing is a straight up LIE, 2m is only real in still air and people not in motion.
More bullshit, huh? Again, show your "proof" distancing doesn't work.
Re: (Score:2)
The mask has been proven not to work, because people shed skin cells in flakes
This statement is inaccurate. COVID-19 is not transmitted through skin cells; it is transmitted through respiratory droplets. A mask reduces the number of such droplets expelled into the air, and also reduces the number breathed in.
Thus, a mask is not perfect protection, but it reduces the input virus load, and thus reduces the chance of transmssion.
and you breathe through your skin and pores and perspiration,
Now you're just wacky. Ian Fleming made up the bit about 'people breathe through their skin' (for the novel Goldfinger) but it mutated into popular culture,
i think it is far too late (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Here in Canada the 2020 stats are in: COVID-19 has been the third cause of death in the country, behind cancer and cardio-vascular disease.
I leave it to you to decide whether the media have been "sensationalizing" it or not.
Pretty easy (Score:2)
End all lockdowns, since areas of lockdown correspond to highest rates.
For intervention, give all citizens copious quantities of vitamin D for free, which will massively lessen the impact of Covid on anyone that does get it, keeping hospital space available.
Can I have my XPrize money in small, unmarked bills please? Will be handy with the upcoming Democratic congress. Also my real name is Harry Hoover.
Re: (Score:2)
End all lockdowns, since areas of lockdown correspond to highest rates.
Confusing cause and effect. High rates cause lockdowns.
Used to be that anybody saying something like this on slashdoe would instantly get a comment of 'correlation is not causation'; what's wrong with slashdot that this no longer draws that comment?
Wrong again. (Score:1)
Confusing cause and effect. High rates cause lockdowns.
Not if you look at any data.
Florida vs. California.
I predict ... (Score:2)
Where do I pick up my money?
A nerd-price for statisticians (Score:2)
I never saw that coming.
Sack the editor, even though he is my namesake. (Score:2)
Can't wait for next week when you guys announce who won the 2016 election.