Microsoft’s Collaboration with Be My Eyes Paves the Way for More Inclusive AI

Microsoft has announced a new partnership with Be My Eyes, a platform dedicated to assisting people who are blind or have low vision. This Microsoft Be My Eyes collaboration aims to improve disability representation in AI training data, helping to make Microsoft’s models more inclusive for the 340 million individuals globally who are blind or visually impaired.

One of the biggest challenges in AI development is the need for vast amounts of diverse and representative data. However, disability is often underrepresented in datasets, particularly in image recognition.

Research and Need

According to a recent Microsoft Research paper, disability-related objects, such as Braille devices, are included less frequently in popular large-scale image-text datasets. This gap results in a 30% lower accuracy rate in recognizing such objects, highlighting the critical need for better disability representation in AI.

This Microsoft Be My Eyes collaboration will see Be My Eyes provide Microsoft with video datasets that authentically capture the experiences of the blind and low-vision community. These datasets include unique objects, lighting, and framing conditions that are representative of real-world scenarios.

Be My Eyes will ensure that all personal information is removed from metadata before sharing, offering users clear options to opt out of data sharing. This partnership will enable Microsoft to improve its AI models for scene understanding and image description, ultimately increasing the utility of AI applications for individuals with disabilities.

Building on Past Successes

The collaboration with Be My Eyes is not new for Microsoft. It began in 2017 when Be My Eyes was integrated into the Disability Answer Desk, providing customers with enhanced technical support. More recently, Microsoft piloted Be My AI, which uses AI to help resolve technical issues.

Be My Eyes also launched a Windows app, available in the Microsoft Store, further deepening the collaboration between the two organizations.

Responsible AI: A Commitment to Inclusivity

Microsoft’s approach to AI has always been centered on responsibility and inclusivity. The company’s Responsible AI framework is designed to ensure that AI systems are fair, reliable, secure, and inclusive. This framework includes a focus on accessibility to ensure that AI innovations benefit everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

“AI has the potential to reduce cognitive load, automate tasks, and provide detailed image descriptions for the blind and visually impaired,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. These innovations, they noted, offer immense benefits to communities such as the neurodiverse, deaf, and blind.

One area where Microsoft has made significant strides is in speech recognition. Through the Speech Accessibility Project, a partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and other tech giants like Apple and Google, Microsoft is working to improve speech recognition for individuals with diverse speech patterns.

This project ensures that AI systems like Azure Speech are better equipped to understand and serve individuals with non-standard speech.

Looking Ahead

Microsoft’s Be My Eyes partnership and its partnership with other organizations demonstrates the company’s commitment to building inclusive AI that reflects the experiences of all users. As the tech giant continues to collaborate with industry leaders and the community, it’s clear that creating a more inclusive future for AI is not just a priority — it’s a necessity.