AI-trained sign language tech for online meetings

A platform that uses AI and computer vision to translate sign language is working to make technology more accessible

Spotted: According to the World Health Organization, nearly one in five people globally are Deaf or have difficulty hearing. And often, social media and machines that provide services do not incorporate sign language – making them less inclusive for those who are hard of hearing.

Startup Deaf AI is working to change this by using artificial intelligence (AI) to train machines to do sign language. Its goal is to make both the real world and the virtual world more inclusive by providing sign language translation on demand. The company has already developed a sign detector that works with online meetings of groups of Deaf people. It uses computer vision to determine who is the “speaker” at any given time in a group, “muting” the others in the meeting so users do not sign over each other.

The company is also developing an app that will transfer real-time speech and talk into sign language, for use in augmented and virtual reality spaces such as games and cultural sites, as well as in the metaverse. Its vision is to develop digital humans as sign language interpreters for real-time interpreting of voice to sign languages.

According to Deaf AI, the company aims “to address the societal issue by engaging artificial intelligence to improve the experience of using the digital world for [deaf] people, making technology more accessible.”

Deaf AI joins a growing list of smart devices and tech companies that are working to make the world more accessible for everyone. Other innovations Springwise has spotted include a glove that translates the spoken word into sign language, and an app that lets users of sign language communicate with Alexa.

Written By: Lisa Magloff