Listening With EARS
An infodemic -- surplus of information both misinformed and legitimate -- has plagued the discourse around the COVI-19 pandemic since the beginning of the outbreak. Digital technologies and social media networks have spurred the rapid-growth of real-time information about the disease. This infodemic -- if not managed well -- can become a serious threat to public health.
In response to this risk, the World Health Organisation launched the EARS platform (Early AI-assisted Response with Social Listening), which shows real-time information about how people are talking about COVID-19 online. Led by Avichal Mahajan from WHO, this masterclass helped participants learn about the data and analytics technologies behind EARS, and how new technologies can be leveraged to better manage infodemics.
About the Economist
Avichal Mahajan supports the WHO Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN) platform in managing infodemics during emergencies. He completed his PhD at the University of Geneva where his research focused on the areas of urban economics, development economics and climate change. Prior to his doctoral studies, Avichal worked at the Africa Education Unit and the Development Research Group: Finance and Private Sector Development (DECFP) at the World Bank, Washington DC.
