INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Authors: Super UserLast year at Microsoft Build 2017, Project Emma was an inspiring highlight of the conference because the project created
a wearable watch to help a person with Parkinson’s write
Now Microsoft is greatly expanding its mission to help those with disabilities through AI for Accessibility.At the Microsoft Build 2018
conference in Seattle, the software maker announced the new $25 million, 5-year program designed to empower one-billion people with
disabilities around the world through AI
To this end, Microsoft will put its money and resources towards helping developers to accelerate the development of accessible and
intelligent AI solutions.With its AI for Accessibility program, Microsoft will first seed technology grants to developers, universities,
non-government organizations, and inventors creating solutions with an AI-first approach that will create new opportunities and assist
people with disabilities in their work, everyday life, and with human connections.From there Microsoft will identify the most promising
projects before offering them larger investments of technology and access to Microsoft AI experts to help them bring their solutions to
Lastly, the Redmond company will infuse AI, an inclusive design and work with its partners to incorporate AI innovations into platform level
services to maximize the accessibility of all the successful AI for Accessibility solutions. Microsoft itself is also developing its own AI
for Accessibility solutions including real-time speech-to-text transcription, visual recognition services, and predictive text
functionality.The Redmond company believes AI advances such as these have an enormous amount of potential to enable people with vision,
hearing, cognitive, learning, mobility disabilities and mental health conditions.
