Page - 574 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE574 Discrimination against them could be reinforced by the use of tech- nology that can lead to the accessing of certain government services being refused. Finally, the use of this type of technology will contrib- ute to greater acceptance by our society of generalized technological surveillance.10 In the past, the declaration of a state of emergency to combat terrorism has led to the incorporation of special measures into law that allow greater surveillance.11 Beyond these important concerns, much of the relevant research has focused on the wealthier nations of China, Western Europe, and North America—the first to be hit by the pandemic. However, as the virus continues to spread, poorer countries are not being spared. In this chapter, we explore the impact of artificial intelligence solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic in a global context and we focus in par- ticular on countries with middle to low human development levels.12 These populations are bound to be more vulnerable, not only to the pandemic impacts, but also to inappropriate uses of artificial intel- ligence. We consider predictive analysis and modelling and, then, the governance of data. We conclude by proposing a path forward for ensuring the accountable use of artificial intelligence globally. Machine Learning and Impact Modelling BlueDot,13 a Canadian start-up, was among the first organizations in the world to identify the emerging risk from COVID-19 in Hubei province, and to sound the alarm before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did, on January 6, and before the World Health Organization followed suit three days later.14 The start-up combines 10. Federica Lucivero et al, “Covid-19 and Contact Tracing Apps: Technological Fix or Social Experiment? (April 10, 2020), online: SSRN <https://ssrn.com/ abstract=3590788>. 11. See for instance in France: Céline Castets-Renard, “Online Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism in France” in T-E Synodinou et al, eds, EU Internet Law  Regulation  and  Enforcement (Switzerland: Springer, 2017). In Canada, see Kent Roach, “Canada’s Response to Terrorism” in Victor V Ramraj et al, eds, Global  Anti-Terrorism  Law  and  Policy  (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005). 12. “The Human Development Index” (last visited 28 May 2020), online: United Nations Development  Programme  <http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development- index-hdi>. 13. “BlueDot” (last visited 28 May 2020), online: BlueDot <https://bluedot.global>. 14. Geoffrey Vendeville, “U of T Infectious Diseases Expert AI Firm Now a Part of Canada’s AI Arsenal” (27 March 2020), online: U of T News <https://www.uto- ronto.ca/news/u-t-infectious-disease-expert-s-ai-firm-now-part-canada-s-covid- 19-arsenal>.