AI spurs 'revolution' for some visually impaired people

AI is making a significant difference in the lives of visually impaired individuals, such as Louise Plunkett from Norwich. Louise suffers from Stargardt disease, a rare genetic condition that leads to progressive vision loss. She explains, 'AI has revolutionized my daily life. ' Due to her condition, she struggles to recognize people, including her own husband and children. When her kids were younger, she had to teach them how to approach her when they met at the school playground. Louise is quite adept with digital tools and runs a business that advises companies on how to make their online content accessible for the visually impaired community. For years, she has relied on services like Alexa, Google Home, and Siri to assist her with various tasks, such as setting alarms and checking the weather. Recently, she has found an app called Be My AI particularly helpful. This app utilizes ChatGPT technology to generate and read detailed descriptions of images. 'I’m quite a stubborn person,' Louise admits. 'I don’t like asking for help or admitting I need assistance, so using the AI tool is beneficial when other humans aren’t around. ' She uses it to determine which restroom to use, read food packaging, or understand letters. However, she also notes that AI can sometimes provide excessive information. 'The downside with AI is that it occasionally gives you too many details. Sometimes, you just want the basic information about what is in front of you, but it goes above and beyond, offering mood and emotions. For instance, it might describe a carpet as 'a swirling carpet evoking memories of times gone by. ' It feels like it is one step too far. ' Be My AI was developed by a Danish company called Be My Eyes. Initially, their service connected human volunteers with clients who needed assistance. Volunteers would describe what was in front of visually impaired individuals through mobile phones. However, many of the 600,000 users are now opting for the AI tool for help, according to Jesper Hvirring Henriksen, the chief technology officer. 'We have a woman who was one of our first users ten years ago, and within the first six months of releasing Be My AI, she completed over 600 image descriptions. ' He has also discovered that users are employing the app in unexpected ways. 'We’re finding people using it to check pictures sent to them on WhatsApp groups,' he explains. 'They may not want to call another person every time they receive a picture, so they turn to AI instead. ' Looking ahead, Jesper envisions the potential for live streaming video, where the technology could describe buildings and movements around users. 'This is going to be a gamechanger. It’s like having a little person in your pocket all day telling you what is happening. ' Be My Eyes is free for users, but the company generates revenue by signing up businesses for a paid directory service that provides information and contact details to the blind and low-vision community. Jesper emphasizes that AI will not eliminate the need for human connection. 'At Be My Eyes, people still choose to call a volunteer too. The blind population in the Western world is generally older when they start to experience vision loss, and this AI might add an extra layer of complexity. Humans are often faster and potentially more accurate. ' Other companies are also developing products to assist visually impaired individuals. One such product is the WeWalk cane, which features a voice assistant that detects obstacles and provides navigation and live public transport updates. The cane connects to a smartphone app with built-in mapping, allowing users to find places of interest, including the nearest café in over 3,000 cities. 'The cane is very important for us; it helps with navigation and symbolizes our independence,' says Gamze Sofuoğlu, WeWalk’s product manager. 'Our latest version allows users to navigate using voice commands. For example, when you say 'take me home' or 'find the nearest café,' it starts navigating, and you can receive information about public transport without needing to touch your phone. It provides freedom for blind and low-vision individuals. ' Gamze, who is blind, has used the cane in cities she has visited recently, such as Lisbon and Rome. Robin Spinks, head of inclusive design at the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), is a strong advocate for AI and uses it almost daily. For instance, he turns to ChatGPT to assist with his workflow, providing summaries of developments in specific areas related to his work or even helping him plan a paddleboard trip. He believes that last year was all about conversational AI and ChatGPT, while 2024 will be the year of what he calls 'multimodal AI. ' He explains, 'That might involve showing video and images and being able to extract meaningful information to assist you in an exciting way. ' He points to Google Gemini as an example. 'With that, you can record meetings, and it assists with voice labels and meeting summaries. It’s genuinely helpful and aims to make people’s lives easier. ' Robin asserts that AI has been transformative for individuals who are blind or have low vision. 'I sympathize with those who are genuinely scared of AI, but when you have a disability, if something can genuinely add value and be helpful, that has to be a great thing. The benefits are too significant to ignore. '