Medical workers seal a sample at a community in Yuhua District of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 7, 2021. Shijiazhuang started to conduct citywide nucleic acid tests covering all residents on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

The coronavirus epidemic has pressed a fast-forward button on medical artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and the fight against the virus has put the technology further into practice, a report released by the Tencent Research Institute said. 

The report said medical imaging AI, which improves the efficiency of image reading based on image recognition and other technologies, has played an active role in the auxiliary screening of COVID-19, and big data can help trace the source of infectious diseases. 

Meanwhile, medical decision-making AI systems can also help people obtain better diagnoses for treatment.

Medical AI generally refers to the application of AI technology in various medical fields. It is one of the first and most important areas where AI and the industry are combined, the report said, as medical care has massive, complex and highly specialized heterogeneous data. AI can effectively use the information to improve the processing efficiency of medical problems.

The big data shadow of Chinese technology companies is looming in imported cold-chain food inspection procedures, as technology arms of Alibaba and Tencent said they are working with local governments to help with tracking of imported cold-chain foods, ensuring safety. The system provides information including the record of cold food storage, the main body of the cold chain, the inflow and outflow of cold-chain food, and the production and sales of imported cold-chain foods.

Such topics as how technology will evolve and develop in the post-pandemic era, what is the relationship between AI and ethics, and whether algorithms will "control" people's lives have become heated in the technology sector, the report said. 

In 2019, marking Tencent's 21st business year, the giant made "Value for Users, Tech for Good" as its corporate culture, and made integrity, proactivity, collaboration and creativity as its updated values.