AI for Accessibility, a $25 million program to empower people with disabilities

The link to the audio description version is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVytpQy3eaE

Companies around the world have a great opportunity to transform the world with new technologies that rapidly change the way we live, learn, and work, including artificial intelligence. This rapid transformation is creating extraordinary opportunities for people with disabilities. We also recognize with great opportunities comes great responsibility – a responsibility to apply new technologies like AI to unlock solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society.

That’s why today at Build, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced AI for Accessibility, a new $25 million 5-year program to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions to benefit the 1 billion-plus people around the world with disabilities.

AI for Accessibility is a call to action for developers, universities, nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s), and inventors taking an AI-first approach focused on creating solutions for people with disabilities with work, life and human connections. Through AI for Accessibility, Microsoft will support with grants of technology, AI expertise, and platform-level services to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions and build on recent advancements in Microsoft Cognitive Services.

At Microsoft, we have already seen the impact of AI and its capabilities to hear, see, and reason, giving people independence in performing daily tasks. Read the Microsoft on the Issues Blog by Microsoft President Brad Smith to learn more about the program and visit www.microsoft.com/AIforAccessibility.

Together, we can build a more inclusive world where technology leaves no one behind.