Advent of Artificial Intelligence and algorithmic technologies has significantly impacted the lives of people with disabilities. AI loosely mean technologies that use advanced computing to perform tasks that were traditionally done by humans. People with disabilities are increasingly adopting AI in different facets of their lives, including for education, employment, communications, and socializing. Many tools such as image recognition apps for the blind, dictation software for people with dexterity-related disabilities, communication programs for people with speech disabilities, and other automated technologies are widely in use. In many cases, people with disabilities also use technologies to perform tasks that earlier required support from friends, families, or caregivers. The range of these tools include both assistive technologies (specifically designed for people with disabilities), and mainstream technologies (developed for both nondisabled and people with disabilities). Examples of the latter include smart home devices such as voice assistants, vacuums, autonomous cars, and chat GPT, amongst others.
The rapid development of AI has also given rise to many risks and challenges, such as discrimination, abuse, violence, and surveillance. People with disabilities are one of the most marginalized groups in the effects of technology. Many AI tools have been found to discriminate against people with disabilities in different settings. To illustrate, employment algorithms screen out candidates with disabilities from jobs. Online exam proctoring software labeled people with disabilities as cheaters. In the US, algorithms were used by governments to deprive people with disabilities of crucial social security benefits. Autonomous vehicles also fail in recognizing the movements of wheelchair users, deciding to run them over. AI technologies are built using large amounts of data that often carry societal biases against disability. Most mainstream technologies do not account for the differences of people with disabilities, and hence discriminate against them. People with disabilities lack adequate privacy protections to their data, and often do not have access to redressal mechanisms when their privacy is violated. There is also a pervasive dearth of adequate representation from people with disabilities in the development of technologies.
An article by Shah Maitreya
