Article: Augmenting Ability: Microsoft Using AI, Smart Glass Tech to Aid Differently-Abled

My alert for this week is not so much about English as a Second Language but something that I think will become a big deal in the future, Artificial Intelligence and communication. The article I read discusses a collaboration with Microsoft and the Chinese Science Academy and Peiching Union University who have created an augmented reality prototype to translate spoken word to sign language and sign language to spoken word through a smart phone or smart glass app. The article cites Microsoft’s continued focus on breaking down barriers with assistive technology like that which Microsoft integrated in its OneNote software for dictation and text-to-speech. It will be very interesting to see how Artificial Intelligence could begin to assist in ways never thought possible before.