Since it came onto the scene, artificial intelligence (AI) has made an impact on the global stage. From productivity tools like chatbots and search engines to companion tools like the AI girlfriend, to automation tools like project managers and schedulers, AI is changing the way industries work and individuals interact day-to-day. Yet these AI tools are just scratching the surface of where the technology is making a difference, especially for those with disabilities.
According to recent data from the World Health Organization, about 1.3 billion people live with some form of disability. These individuals struggle with certain physical or mental limitations that can impact independence—but many experts think that AI can help overcome the problem. From text-to-speech and speech-to-text to navigation aids, and AI-powered prosthetics to learning resources, AI technology has the potential to create lasting change in people’s lives.
Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text
These technologies might seem very similar, but they make a distinct impact on two prominent disabilities: blindness and deafness. Text-to-speech has existed as a technology for a much longer period than speech-to-text, but AI technology has enabled much more effective dictation capabilities in recent years. Some AI tools are capable of reading written text aloud, empowering blind users to read text written without accompanying braille writing. Whether books or street signs, AI enables newfound accessibility for those with visual impairments.
Contrastingly, speech-to-text has largely emerged from efforts associated with AI technology, which can analyze massive data sets to achieve speech recognition. With enough training, models have become capable of translating speech directly to text with remarkable accuracy, empowering deaf individuals to read what is being said to them without the aid of a sign language translator. Whether someone has difficulty getting a job due to communication barriers or can’t participate in certain activities for the same reasons, AI speech-to-text translation could be the difference maker.
“In one effort to address that risk, a group of Big Tech companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and others, have partnered with researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to create a training dataset for AI speech recognition tools that includes a diversity of speech patterns,” CNN’s Clare Duffy wrote in a 2024 article. “With the help of the [Speech Accessibility Project’s] now more than 200,000 recordings, a sample speech recognition tool created by the researchers misunderstands speech only 12% of the time, down from 20% prior to being trained on the new dataset.”
Navigation Aids
Outside of AI-powered text-to-speech resources, individuals with visual impairments can also benefit from AI’s ability to recognize and describe their surroundings. Advancements in AI have enabled the technology to identify and recognize facial expressions and gestures while more accurately describing images, surroundings, and proxemics. Apps like Be My Eyes used to rely on sighted volunteers to guide visually impaired users through live video, but now AI is beginning to provide more effective accessibility.
“Be My Eyes… pairs visually impaired users with sighted volunteers who provide help, through live video, with things like checking whether a shirt matches the rest of an outfit or if a carton of milk has expired,” Duffy wrote. “Be My Eyes partnered with OpenAI last year to enable its AI model, rather than another human, to see and describe what’s in front of a user. 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.”
While complete sight restoration remains an ongoing project, AI seems to be rapidly progressing toward the role of navigation assistant, much like a seeing-eye dog. AI is potentially a new way for visually impaired individuals to interpret and more safely interact with the world around them.
AI-Powered Prosthetics
As AI continues to improve, certain prosthetics designers have begun to implement the technology into their bionic limb designs. These prosthetics are designed to learn from physical input as the software translates these signals into predictions of what the user is trying to accomplish. AI’s ability to learn and improve in conjunction with machine learning (ML) enables the bionic technology to work with newfound efficacy.
An AI-powered leg might learn how to propel a user forward with a natural gait, and an AI-powered arm can move in a more lifelike fashion than previously imagined. By thinking about performing an action, a sufficiently well-trained AI limb is capable of recreating basic movements at a distance. While this new form of prosthetic is expensive and hardly energy-efficient, the potential for accessibility is remarkable.
Images and Video in Accessibility
While AI-generated images and videos are controversial, they might find their place in providing accessibility to individuals with disabilities. Images and videos may help those who consume information in a certain medium understand a concept or physical object. AI is capable of incorporating audio into a video, or text into an image, which may prove useful for accessibility in the future. The importance of input and output is essential for certain individuals, and AI can ensure that these remain consistent.
The Issue of Human-Created Data
In her article, Duffy points to a central issue of AI technology. At the end of the day, AI models are trained on human-created data that can replicate human biases.
“Early examples have already cropped up,” Duffy wrote, “including AI image generators that appeared to struggle with the concept of race, or an algorithm that allegedly showed job advertisements based on gendered stereotypes.”
Though AI is being applied to solve problems faced by those with disabilities, AI might reflect similar stereotypes toward disabled individuals. Major tech companies work diligently to prevent these issues, but no AI model will likely be perfect in this regard.
An Empowered Future
While AI models must continue to grow and improve, they are already demonstrating remarkable potential for changing the lives of those with disabilities. It is sometimes difficult to remember that AI is a fairly new technology, but it has already empowered individuals and industries alike to reconsider what might be possible. AI can help individuals read what they cannot see and listen to what they cannot hear, navigate without a human assistant, and move without a limb. AI is making a difference, and it’s only progressing forward.
This article appears in Feb 14-27, 2025.