Alex McFarland
Alex McFarland
Contributor, The Yuan

Alex McFarland is a freelance writer based in Brazil. He covers the ethical implications of AI and how it can be used to improve the lives of citizens, especially in the context of Latin America. He is a regular contributor to the top online AI news publication Unite.AI.

Brazil’s AI infatuation makes it a standout in Latin America, the World
Generic
Brazilians welcome AI far more than their counterparts in wealthier North America and Europe. AI expert and Latin America maven Alex McFarland relates how AI has beguiled the world’s fifth-largest country and built a model that will reverberate way beyond its far-flung frontiers.
Alex McFarland  |  Dec 06, 2023
AI detects Chagas disease with smartphones
Optimization
Chagas disease, a disease affecting many tropical regions, is being targeted using a new AI technique for detecting it in blood samples, which also detects other diseases, and is practical and cost effective as well, meaning it holds great promise as a tool for tropical countries - most of which are low- or middle-income - to fight these diseases.
Alex McFarland  |  Nov 24, 2022
Mapping informal settlements in Latin America using AI
Governance
Latin America’s cities are being overwhelmed by burgeoning informal settlements, but AI is coming to the rescue for the region’s cash-strapped municipalities and NGOs, as The Yuan’s man on the scene, AI writer Alex McFarland explains.
Alex McFarland  |  Jul 27, 2022
Brazil Universities Prepare Next Gen AI-Students
Game-changers
Artificial intelligence is transforming societies throughout the globe, while at the same time governments and universities are preparing their students for an AI-driven world. After all, today’s students will be the ones controlling future machines. Within the next few decades, AI technology will advance like never before, placing students right at the helm.
Alex McFarland  |  Mar 04, 2022
AI Continues Its Inroads Into Brazil’s Health Sector
Emerging markets
Brazil was slow off the mark to embrace the possibilities of new technologies when AI announced itself in dramatic fashion at the turn of the new century, but now, the nation is leading the race in South America. Alex McFarland looks at how Brazil got up to speed with a new game plan to address its shortcomings, and nowhere is this more evident than in healthcare.
Alex McFarland  |  Sep 23, 2021
How AI Can Help Combat the Opioid Epidemic
Game-changers
The opioid epidemic has been ravaging communities throughout the US for the past few years, with very little indication of a brighter future. And as the country, and entire globe, continues to deal with the ramifications of COVID-19, there is serious concern that it will drastically worsen the opioid crisis unless the government intervene with a human-centered approach.
Alex McFarland  |  Aug 17, 2021
Medical AI Breaks New Ground
Game-changers
AI is the key to solving many of the world’s greatest problems and nowhere more so than in healthcare. The medical sector witnesses almost daily breakthroughs, but to understand where it is heading requires a look at individual areas such as brain-machine interfaces, prosthetics, nanodevices, diagnosis accuracy, and DNA-based technology, among the countless tools under development.
Alex McFarland  |  Jun 30, 2021
AI Unravels Stealthy Illness Conundrum
Brain science
Alzheimer’s disease is a leading form of dementia accounting for 60 to 70 percent of the 50 million cases of dementia all around the globe. This number is expected to double every 20 years, meaning 82 million people will have it in 2030 and 152 million in 2050. While there is no known cure, AI is leading the fight against the illness.
Alex McFarland  |  Jun 29, 2021