As we put together for the third annual Sight Tech Global (December 7-8, free & digital, register here), a expertise occasion that tracks the advances in expertise supporting individuals who dwell with blindness, two large shifts are entrance and middle.
First, new digital experiences, notably digital actuality, are testing identified approaches to accessibility. There aren’t any white canes or display screen readers (but!) within the metaverse. That digital realm is on the verge of going mainstream each for customers and enterprises so shortly that accessibility might simply change into an afterthought, because it was initially of the PV period.
At Sight Tech International, we are going to hear from the individuals working to make sure that the metaverse is open to all. The occasion is free and digital!
Second, the expertise platforms underpinning so lots of the breakthroughs in assistive and entry tech — the instruments that assist blind and low imaginative and prescient individuals navigate the world — are advancing quick and enabling higher, cheaper gadgets. Not way back, AI-powered pc imaginative and prescient programs have been pricey marvels of miniaturized cameras, GPUs and batteries, however sooner networks, cloud providers and extra highly effective cell phones are altering every little thing, particularly the price.
The previous debate in entry tech was which might prevail — common expertise platforms comparable to cell phones with built-in accessibility options, or purpose-built gadgets particularly for individuals who want imaginative and prescient help. The rising components just isn’t one or the opposite however each, in a successful mixture.
At Sight Tech International, we are going to hear from the technologists making use of the brand new approaches to subsequent era gadgets. Register today.
And underlying a lot of those discussions is the evolution of AI itself, which is a vital expertise throughout the spectrum of blind tech. The present “deep studying” type of AI continues to ship placing leads to varieties such because the pure language GPT3 or many pc imaginative and prescient AIs. However there may be rising dissatisfaction with the flexibility of these highly effective pattern-recognition programs to use one thing extra like human reasoning to points giant and small, to not point out filter out the bias and issues when AIs are unleashed.
At Sight Tech International, we are going to hear from prime AI technologists grappling with these matters and extra.
The occasion agenda will likely be prepared in a month, however we hope you’ll register today. The occasion is free and digital.
And one new twist in 2022: Sight Tech International is including an “In Particular person” occasion on December 9 in San Jose, California. The occasion is geared toward technologists, product leaders and designers working in entry tech. The occasion is proscribed to 150 individuals and by invitation solely. Many of the programming will likely be workshops pushed by attendees. Here’s where you can request an invitation or nominate someone.
Sight Tech International is a manufacturing of the nonprofit Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. We’re grateful to present sponsors APH, Amazon, Google, Fable, Humanware, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Waymo. If you need to sponsor the occasion, please contact us. All sponsorship revenues go to the nonprofit Vista Heart, which has been serving the Silicon Valley space for 75 years.
