The transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) has been outlined in a few of my previous articles. For individuals with disabilities, generative AI technology is already revolutionary in enhancing independence and breaking down barriers.
A recent article from CNN’s Clare Duffy, titled “‘We don’t want to leave people behind’: AI is helping disabled people in surprising new ways,” originally brought some of the latest developments to my attention.
Assistive technology has long played a helpful role in improving quality of life for people with disabilities. However, AI developments are taking these tools to the next level.
One great example is from Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton of Virginia. She recently shared that she’s used ElevenLabs generative AI technology to create a model of her voice before she was impacted by progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). She has integrated the ElevenLabs into aiding her public speaking engagements, including on the U.S. House floor and in committees.
“I hope that this new step of adopting an AI voice model can also be a moment to start a conversation about new and creative ways we can continue to empower people facing the kinds of health and accessibility issues as I have, and to show that our abilities do not define who we are,” said Rep. Wexton.
The key advantage of generative AI for accessibility lies in its ability to understand and translate between different modalities of information, such as text, audio, images and video. This versatility makes it possible to adapt content for individual needs, whether that’s converting audio to text for the deaf or describing images for the blind.
Apps like Be My Eyes, which traditionally connected visually impaired users with sighted volunteers for assistance, are now integrating AI models to provide instant, on-demand help.
In Duffy’s article, she details OpenAI’s partnership with Be My Eyes: “In OpenAI’s latest product demo, the company showed a clip of a person using the AI-powered version of Be My Eyes to hail a taxi — the app told the user exactly when to raise their arm for the car.”
Google is also innovating in this space through its “Lookout” app, offering similar AI-driven assistance for visually impaired users.
For many people with disabilities, AI-powered assistive technology is already creating real opportunities. Duffy interviews Matthew Sherwood, who has been blind for over 15 years, and he highlights how AI can be transformative in this way: “For blind people, this is an opportunity to gain employment and an opportunity to compete in business, an opportunity to succeed.”
By automating tasks that previously required human assistance, AI is enabling greater independence and efficiency. This will open doors to careers and activities that were once challenging or even impossible.
While the potential of AI for accessibility is immense, it’s crucial that national privacy standards are created to be both attentive to the positive uses of data while still keeping consumers safe. These measures should ensure that human users’ privacy is respected and protected while also streamlining rules to make it easier for small, new innovators trying to enter this exciting new market.
As generative AI continues to develop, there will be even more exciting applications to elevate human capacity through assistive technology. For millions of people with disabilities, AI represents more than just technological progress; it offers the promise of greater independence and opportunity. That is truly transformative.