AI to detect if you’ve a cold from tone of voice before applying for sick leave

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly revolutionizing various industries and has now set its sights on tackling a common workplace issue - fake sick leaves.

By analyzing the tone of a person's voice, researchers from the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology in Surat have developed a method to determine the presence of a cold.

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Detecting colds through voice analysis

The study, which was reported by The Economist, analyzed the vocal patterns of 630 individuals, 111 of whom had a cold.

The researchers focused on harmonics - the vocal rhythms in human speech - to determine the presence of a cold. The AI algorithms can detect irregular patterns in the harmonics of a person's voice when they have a cold.

In the study, participants were instructed to count from 1 to 40, describe their weekend activities, and recite "The North Wind and the Sun" fable. The accuracy of the AI in identifying a cold from these recordings was 70%.

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Curbing sick leave abuse in the workplace

Ths technology could be a game-changer for employers looking to curb fake leaves. (Mati Mango/Pexels)

Although the main objective of the researchers was to facilitate the detection of a cold without the need for a doctor's visit, this innovative technology could also revolutionize the way employers tackle the problem of employees pretending to be sick to take time off work.

Sick leave abuse is a widespread issue that costs companies billions of dollars each year. Employees taking sick leaves when they're not sick can cause significant productivity losses and impact overall work environment.

Many employers rely on doctors' notes to verify an employee's illness, but this approach is not foolproof. Doctor's notes can be forged, and the process of verifying them can be time-consuming and expensive.

With this new technology, employers could detect the presence of a cold and ensure that employees are taking sick leaves for legitimate reasons. That could lead to increased productivity and a healthier work environment.

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Future of health-related innovations in workplace

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve and explore new possibilities, the voice-based detection of a cold could be only the beginning of numerous health-related innovations that comes to the forefront.

For example, this technology could be used to detect other illnesses, like flu, strep throat or even COVID-19. That could be particularly useful in workplaces where employees work in close proximity to one another, like factories, call centers or healthcare settings.

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Concerns about privacy and surveillance

Employees may be uncomfortable with the idea of their voices being recorded and analyzed by their employers (Miguel A. Padrinan/Pexels)

There are, however, some concerns about the use of AI in the workplace. One potential issue is privacy.

Employees may be uncomfortable with the idea of their voices being recorded and analyzed by their employers. To address that, companies will need to ensure that they have strict data protection policies in place and that they obtain employees' consent before implementing this technology.

Another concern is that the use of AI could lead to increased surveillance in the workplace. Employers may use this technology to monitor employees' behavior and ensure that they're not taking too much sick leave.

While that could be beneficial for employers, it could also lead to a lack of trust between employers and employees. It's essential that companies strike a balance between monitoring and respecting employees' privacy.

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The AI technology that can detect colds based on voice analysis is an exciting development that could have significant implications for the workplace. Employers could use this technology to detect sick leave abuse and ensure that employees take sick leaves for legitimate reasons.

However, companies must also address concerns about privacy and surveillance to ensure that the technology is implemented in a responsible and ethical manner. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect to see more health-related innovations that could have a significant impact on the workplace and employee-employer relationship.