A medical worker shows his COVID-19 vaccination records on a phone app developed by the provincial center for disease control and prevention, at the health management center in Panyu District of Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 6, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
China should promote the establishment of a national disease prevention and control system powered by artificial intelligence (AI) in view of the technology's important role in the country's anti-COVID-19 battle, a national lawmaker has said.

"AI has played a vital role in infection tracking and the training of primary-level doctors during the pandemic and helped improve the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19," said Liu Qingfeng, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) and board chairman of iFlytek, a leading Chinese AI firm.

"Its performance in epidemic prevention and control is beyond our expectations," he said.

Liu made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing fourth session of the 13th NPC, the country's national legislature.

"More importantly, AI can automatically detect the risk of major infectious diseases and help build an intelligent disease alert, prevention and control mechanism," he said, suggesting more support for research on key technologies in the field.

Liu also noted the great potential of AI technology in helping China's senior citizens cross the digital divide and embrace new technologies as the country addresses population aging in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).