Communications of the ACM

• Artificial intelligence has been an important tool in tracking and tracing contacts during COVID-19.
• As the crisis continues, citizens might be more willing than ever to forgo their civil liberties and data protections to fight coronavirus.
• To maintain trust, governments must put much-needed AI governance architectures in place.

AI has become a key weapon in tracking and tracing cases during this pandemic. Deploying those technologies has sometimes meant balancing the need to conquer the virus with the conflicting need to protect individual privacy. As the initial crisis gives way to long-term policies and public health practices, governments will need to build trust in AI to ensure future protections can be deployed and maintained.