A feature in Nature Africa, with thanks to Global Health Now.
To fight Ebola misinformation, AI mines old-tech radio data
Insights from machine learning models in Uganda can be used to tailor policies for handling present and future disease outbreaks.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d44148-025-00187-1
'Scientists have used AI to generate transcripts based on thousands of hours of radio broadcasts to discover what communities in Uganda perceive about Ebola outbreaks. Where internet penetration is low, people rely on the radio for information, so analysing what they are hearing is the first step to countering misinformation and shaping public health messaging...'
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org