The ethical use of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence: fighting COVID-19 at Barcelona...

Area of Science:

• * Computational biology and bioinformatics
• * Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• * Public health and epidemiology

Background:

• * The COVID-19 pandemic presents a global health, economic, and humanitarian crisis.
• * Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are crucial tools in combating the pandemic.
• * Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) actively contributes to the fight against COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To detail BSC's multifaceted contributions to the COVID-19 response.
• * To highlight the ethical considerations and framework for handling sensitive citizen data during the pandemic.
• * To align data usage practices with European Union guidelines.

Main Methods:

• * Application of bioinformatics for viral research and treatment discovery.
• * Utilization of AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and big data analytics for pandemic spread and impact analysis.
• * Leveraging the MareNostrum 4 supercomputer for large-scale COVID-19 data analysis.

Main Results:

• * BSC employs diverse computational approaches to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
• * Significant analysis of the virus, its spread, and societal impact has been conducted.
• * Ethical data handling protocols are central to all pandemic-related activities.

Conclusions:

• * BSC's integrated approach, combining bioinformatics, AI, and supercomputing, is vital for pandemic response.
• * Emphasizes the critical importance of ethical, transparent, and fair data usage, adhering to EU standards.
• * Demonstrates the power of advanced computing in tackling global health emergencies.