Accessibilty and AI

Thoughtful AI has written a great article on delivering better patient care through AI. They do this by automating administrative workflows with AI solutions.

Some things to think about when utilizing AI in a healthcare setting. The amount of patient privacy. How can we make certain that patient privacy is secured in the growing world of AI?

Mistral AI models are now available on Amazon Bedrock.

Anthropic has announced 3 new AI models for public use. Please meet Opus, Sonnet and Haiku - soon to be released.

LTX studio has built an AI image generation tool that can match or beat Sora. Also, unlike OpenAI’s Sora, LTX Studio is currently available to the public.

Rainbow Teaming generates diverse adversarial prompts to enhance LLM robustness, employing an open-ended search method for prompt discovery.

StructLM aims to bridge LLMs' gap in interpreting structured data, enhancing their ability to ground knowledge in tables, graphs, and databases.

The Era of 1-bit LLMs Discusses the development and advantages of 1-bit LLMs, promising significant cost reductions and efficiency improvements.

Ellipsis for code reviews Github Pull Requests and can turn Github comments into working tested code. It can write and answer questions about your codebase. This can help dev teams to ship code faster.

EazyTrip AI will help you plan your next trip. Helps you to understand everything you will need to have the best trip possible.

Decor8.AI uses this AI tool to design your rooms, without hiring staging experts for real estate sales.

Sounds of Life you can learn about the sounds that turtles make, how scientists tracked Bow whales in the Arctic, and how elephants communicate over long, long distances.

How one institute works to use AI for accessibility

The Inclusive Design Institute (IDI) is a Canadian research hub focused on ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible and usable by all potential users, including those with disabilities, varying language needs, and diverse cultural preferences.

Established at OCAD University and led by Jutta Treviranus, the IDI collaborates with eight postsecondary partner institutions and over 100 organizations. It aims to prepare Ontario and Canada to meet the growing demand for accessible ICT, driven by an aging population and the adoption of accessibility legislation by major trading partners. 

The IDI is structured to support research and development in software architectures, design and development tools, supportive applications, exemplary policies, specifications, and standards. It also focuses on creating an inclusively designed and accessible infrastructure for research and collaboration.

The IDI's work is organized through various administrative structures, ensuring equitable access to infrastructure, effective management, and sustainability. It offers programs like the Masters of Design in Inclusive Design at OCAD University and workshops to build a knowledge community addressing digital inclusion goals within Ontario, Canada, and globally.

The Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC), established in 1993, coordinates the IDI. It is an international community of developers, designers, researchers, educators, and co-designers working together to ensure that emerging technology and practices are designed inclusively.

The IDRC leads and partners in collaborative, multi-sector, applied research networks that proactively prevent barriers and promote greater inclusion. It also develops policies, regulations, specifications, and standards to promote greater inclusion, and offers consulting services and training in digital accessibility and inclusive design 

How is the Inclusive Design Institute using AI?

1. Recognizing and Addressing Bias in AI: AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate biases if they are not designed with inclusivity in mind from the start. The IDI, like other organizations, would likely use AI to identify and mitigate bias in ICT products and services, ensuring that they are accessible and beneficial to a wide range of users.

   This involves using AI to analyze data for potential biases and adjusting the design and development process to address these issues early on.

2. Building Inclusive AI Teams: The IDI, following the broader trend in inclusive design, would emphasize the importance of diversity in AI development teams.

   This includes hiring individuals from different backgrounds, disciplines, genders, races, and cultures to create a more inclusive and empathetic approach to AI design. Such diversity helps in identifying biases more easily and fostering empathy, which is crucial for designing AI that is truly inclusive.

3. AI for Accessible Design in Digital Learning: AI can play a significant role in creating more accessible and personalized learning experiences. This includes the development of adaptive learning environments, voice and language technologies, and assistive technologies.

   Although not directly related to the IDI's focus on ICT accessibility, the principles of leveraging AI for accessible design in digital learning can provide valuable insights into how AI can be integrated into the IDI's work to enhance digital inclusion.

4. Enhancing Accessibility and Personalization: AI-powered accessibility tools, such as speech recognition and text-to-speech, can level the playing field for learners with disabilities, supporting the goal of inclusive design.

   These tools can be particularly useful in ICT environments to ensure that digital content is accessible and understandable for all users. Additionally, AI can provide data-driven insights into learner behavior and engagement, allowing designers to continuously refine their approach to inclusive design.