AI Mirrors Revolutionize Self-Perception for Blind Community, Indian-Origin CEO Leads Innovation
For centuries, the ability to see oneself has remained an elusive dream for blind individuals. However, a groundbreaking technological advancement is now turning this aspiration into reality. An Indian-origin CEO's company has pioneered the development of AI-powered mirrors, marking a significant milestone in assistive technology. These innovative tools are designed to help blind people closely perceive themselves, offering a new dimension of self-awareness and interaction with the visual world.
The Envision App: Bridging the Information Gap
Already gaining popularity among those with vision impairments, the Envision app leverages advanced image recognition and intelligent processing to provide access to previously inaccessible information. It goes beyond mere description, delivering comprehensive feedback, comparisons, and practical advice. Envision, the AI company behind this life-changing technology, stands as one of the first to harness artificial intelligence in such a transformative manner.
Karthik Mahadevan, the chief executive officer, revealed to the BBC that the project commenced in 2017 and has evolved significantly over the years. "When we started in 2017, we were able to offer basic descriptions, just a short sentence of two or three words," he explained. Initially launched as a mobile application, Envision enabled blind users to access printed text through character recognition. Over time, it has integrated sophisticated AI models into smart glasses and created an assistant that facilitates interaction with the surrounding visual environment.
"Some use it for obvious things, like reading letters or shopping, but we were surprised by the number of customers who use it to do their makeup or coordinate their outfits," Mahadevan added, highlighting the diverse applications of the technology.
Real-Life Impact: Stories from Users
Lucy Edwards, a blind content creator, shared her profound experience with the BBC, noting how the technology has been life-altering. Having had sight for 17 years of her 30-year life, she described the AI mirror as "pretending to be my mirror." Edwards expressed, "The truth is that I haven't had an opinion about my face for 12 years. Suddenly I'm taking a photo and I can ask AI to give me all the details, to give me a score out of 10, and although it's not the same as seeing, it's the closest I'm going to get for now."
Beyond Envision, other applications are making similar strides. Milagros Costabel recounted using the 'Be My Eyes' app to upload photos after skincare routines, allowing AI to verify if her skin meets desired standards. In one instance, the AI informed her, "Your skin is hydrated, but it definitely doesn't look like the almost perfect example of reflective skin, with non-existent pores as if it were glass, in beauty ads."
Psychological Implications and Body Image Concerns
The impact of such AI tools on blind individuals' body image remains an area requiring thorough research. Helena Lewis-Smith, an applied health psychology researcher at the University of Bristol specializing in body image, cautioned, "We have seen that people who seek more feedback about their bodies, in all areas, have lower body image satisfaction. AI is opening up this possibility for blind people."
Experts in body image psychology warn that AI outcomes may not always be positive, partly because many algorithms are trained to idealize Western body standards. Lewis-Smith elaborated, "The AI's processing can return a photo with a lot of changes that make the person look totally different, implying that all of this is what they should change, and therefore that the way they look now is not good enough."
Meryl Alper, a researcher at Northeastern University in Boston focusing on media, body image, and disabilities, explained the complexity of body image. "In psychological literature, rather than how a person looks, we understand that body image is not one-dimensional and is made up of several factors, such as context, the type of people we want to compare ourselves to, and the things we are capable of doing with our bodies. All of this is something that AI does not understand and will not take into account when making its descriptions."
Navigating Trust and Technological Challenges
According to Mahadevan, the Envision AI learns user preferences and delivers tailored information. However, as Edwards pointed out, it can be a double-edged sword. Users might request romantic descriptions and receive favorable feedback, but they could also ask about messy hair and get tips for improvement, potentially affecting self-esteem.
Additionally, AI hallucinations—where models present inaccurate information as truth—pose significant challenges. Mahadevan acknowledged, "At first, the descriptions were very good, but we noticed that many of them were inaccurate and changed important details, or invented information when what was in the image didn't seem to be enough. But the technology is improving by leaps and bounds, and these errors are becoming less and less common."
Despite these hurdles, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks. Edwards emphasized, "We're going to take it as a positive thing because even though we don't see visual beauty in the same way that sighted people do, the more robots that describe photos to us, guide us, and help us with shopping, the happier we'll be. These are things we thought we'd lost and now technology allows us to have."
The advent of AI mirrors presents a pivotal choice for the blind community: to embrace these tools or refrain from their use. As technology continues to advance, it promises to redefine self-perception and accessibility, offering newfound independence and insight into a world once shrouded in darkness.
