Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use artificial intelligence to help combat the recent outbreak of coronavirus.

£20 million has been made available for novel coronavirus research via a rapid research call announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department via the National Institute for Health Research. The investment will ensure world-class United Kingdom academic and industry expertise can initiate new and additional research as quickly as possible including, where appropriate, artificial intelligence. Projects will contribute to the understanding, diagnosis, prevention and management of the virus, including the study of behaviours that may contribute to how it is spread and can be contained. This fund is in addition and complementary to the £20 million funding announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which will go to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.