You have probably heard the term artificial intelligence (AI) lately. It can be either exciting or scary depending on who you ask! AI technology is developing quickly and being used in some really incredible ways in the field of assistive technology (AT). Today, we're going to explore how AI is being used in assistive technologies. Let's dive in and discover the amazing ways AI is making a difference! 

1. AI-Powered Speech Recognition: AI-powered speech recognition technology can understand and interpret spoken words. For example, there are special devices that can help people who are deaf or hard of hearing by converting spoken words into written text. This way, they can easily understand what others are saying. Live closed captioning is becoming better and better due to AI technologies. There are even technologies that are harnessing AI to capture disordered speech such as VoiceItt.  

2. Smart Assistant Devices: Have you ever heard of smart assistants like Siri or Alexa? These are virtual assistants that use AI to respond to our questions and perform tasks. Students who have various disabilities can control their environment using only their voice. They can ask their smart assistant to turn on the lights, play their favorite music, or even tell the class a joke. It's like having a helpful friend right at your fingertips! 

3. Vision Enhancements: AI has made remarkable progress in helping people with visual impairments. There are now phone apps that use AI to recognize objects and describe them to the user. For example, the app can identify a person's face, read text from a book, or even describe the colors of clothes. One example is the app, Seeing AI for iOS.   

4. Learning Support: Learning can be challenging for some students, but AI is here to lend a hand. AI-based supports, such as OrCam, can scan written text and read it aloud, analyze the reader’s fluency, and even ask some basic comprehension questions! There are many other programs and tools powered by AI. The Chrome extension, Merlin, will summarize a youtube video (as long as it is captioned). That summary can then be put at the student’s reading level for greater accessibility to the general education curriculum.  

Assistive technologies powered by AI are revolutionizing the way we support and empower students with disabilities. From speech recognition to smart assistants, vision enhancements and learning support, AI is making a positive impact on countless lives. So let's continue to explore how it can make our world a better and more inclusive place for everyone!