AI and machine learning technologies are already deployed across a wide spectrum of industries, including medicine, transportation, robotics, science, education, the military, surveillance, finance (including its regulatory aspects), agriculture, entertainment, retail, customer service, and manufacturing.
Her normal and beautiful life, taken away from her in an instant.
Ann was a math teacher in Canada, but in 2005, she had a serious stroke in her brainstem. This stroke left her unable to move or even breathe on her own. It happened suddenly, and doctors didn’t fully understand why.
For five years, Ann was scared she might not wake up each morning. It took a lot of therapy, but eventually, she could move her face a little and show emotions like laughing and crying. However, she still couldn’t talk.
Ann used a computer that she controlled with small head movements to write about her experiences. She explained how everything she had, including her family and her life, had changed overnight because of the stroke.
A ray of hope.
But then, Ann found hope. She started working with scientists from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley who were developing technology that could help people like her communicate better. They were creating a digital character that could talk for her using her thoughts.
“I want patients there to see me and know their lives are not over now,” she wrote using a device that enables her to type slowly on a computer screen with small movements of her head. “I want to show them that disabilities don’t need to stop us or slow us down.”
Dr. Edward Chang, who is an expert in brain surgery, was leading this research. He hoped that their latest discoveries, published in August 2023, could lead to a system approved by the FDA that would let people speak using their brains.
Ann was excited about this breakthrough because she had read about another person named Pancho, who was paralyzed like her and had helped scientists turn his brain signals into words. It wasn’t just about thinking; you had to try to speak for the system to understand. Pancho was the first person to prove this could work.
The start of a new beginning.
Ann worked with the scientists for weeks, repeating lots of words until the computer learned how her brain signaled speech.
The next big goal for the team is to make a wireless version so Ann wouldn’t have to be connected to the computer all the time.
For Ann, being part of this project changed her life. When she was in the rehab hospital, the speech therapist didn’t know how to help her. But now, she feels like she has a purpose again and is contributing to society. She’s grateful for the chance to really live her life to the fullest.
One YouTube user commended how AI has helped not just Ann but many others around the world, “This is wonderful to see as someone who is frequently worried by the future of AI. It’s a reminder that however bad it becomes, it’s still going to improve the lives of so many who deserve to have a voice. I’m looking forward to a future where disabled people’s lives can be vastly improved by this kind of technology.”
Hopefully, AI will not be considered a rival of pure manpower but an ally of mankind instead.
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