by Martin Stewart
As an advocate who constantly uses technology to work and play, I have had my attention drawn to the possibilities that artificial intelligence (AI) technology may or may not provide.
To answer this question for me, I become nostalgic thinking about my first digital device called The Parrot Voice Mate. Wow, when it was first handed to me, I was immediately fascinated by its ability to support my work and personal life. I simply asked it by using my voice for a relative’s phone number and it told me. Not only that, when I double-clicked its side button when close to my phone, it dialled their number for me. Even better, I could record my everyday activity notes which included shopping lists, work memos and so much more. I then realised that my digital revolution had begun.
With time I tentatively moved into the smart phone space with the purchase of an iPhone 6. Just before purchasing this phone, my son gave me all the encouragement that I needed when he said, “Dad I don’t know why you are buying this phone you will never get it”. To which I replied, “thanks for giving me the reason to take it on.” This comment was counteracted by a person who emailed me to say, “just take your time and you will be taken to places with this phone that you could never access before.”
I also recall hearing a radio program in 1978 in an interview about the development of futuristic digital radio technology. Given my love of creating my own weather forecasts, I was concerned to hear that these digital broadcasts would have such clear audio that it would end the static that could be heard when lightning strikes were happening. I remember thinking then, how was I going to know when a storm was approaching without these static noises? You may be interested to know that this is why I have kept three a.m. radios close at hand.
So, I ask myself and you, has digital technology delivered? Is our world more accessible? Are you able to easily use it? I feel for me the answer is found in what I can do now compared with before I purchased the Parrot and first iPhone. These devices began my ability to access people, places and spaces that I could never get to before. With digitalisation we can now text, talk and press play to access videos and broadcasts and interact with our friends, work colleagues and our world.
I know some of you will be thinking that digitalisation has had some negative impacts as some poor designs and developments have not considered us, leaving some workplaces and many other areas to be even less accessible than ever before. For example, recently when I flew with Delta Airlines to the United States, I was faced with what was described as their new modern onboard flight experience which included their exclusive inflight entertainment system. It was certainly a new experience for me as I was challenged by completely inaccessible entertainment technology. As well as not being able to press the call button and other buttons to operate doors, toilets and water taps. I could not even adjust my bed-seating position as these buttons were all operated from a touch screen without voice support.
And how can we forget the Commonwealth Bank’s touchscreen Albert EFTPOS device which meant we couldn’t purchase anything without revealing our pin number to a stranger.
Also, we know that face recognition technology was initially developed without diversity in mind – meaning that people with some darker skin colour tones, and those who use prosthetic eyes, were not able to be identified when using this technology. I am sure most of you will have other stories like these.
This is why we continue to advocate for co-designing practices based upon inclusivity which should involve us in consultation before and not after procurement. Such advocacy supports the creation of technology which is not only accessible but also usable for all.
In everyday life you will now hear these words Co-pilot, Bing, Perplexity, Gemini, ChatGPT and more. These are the names of the newly arrived AI systems. We know this technology is promising a revolutionary change, causing some of us trepidation and others excitement. I always gravitate towards positivity but with a realistic view that there will be challenges with these platforms with plenty of work to do to address them. I have acquired all of these systems so that I can thoroughly test them and offer feedback to the developers. So far, I have experienced the good, the not so good and everything in between. I can verbally converse with some and text with all of them. I can identify one very clear positive – we can access information that often would be hidden away in previously inaccessible websites. This information ranges from the simplest to the more complex enquiries. With optimism I believe just like with digitalisation that as this technology evolves, so will its accuracy and usability.
Imaginings may now be realised. For example, will we experience live sports, theatre and concerts with AI-driven embedded descriptions?
Could we have a restaurant’s menu with adjustable font sizing and customisable colour contrasting be audibly read out in any language? Will we have much smarter wearable technology which efficiently informs us of our world as we move about in it?
Here we are in late 2024 when AI technology has arrived. I feel that we can move forward with positivity to engage with it to experience more work and social inclusion, and therefore an upgraded quality of our living experiences.
I hope this sparks your imagination which now may become your future.
So, what does AI technology mean to you?