AI: bridging or broadening the gap for disabled and older people

Updated on: 29 June 2023

Neil C. Hughes
Contributor

an eye of an elderly person and an eye of a robot — Shutterstock/Cybernews

Can AI deliver on its promise of a more inclusive future, or will it exclude the ones who need it the most? Let’s dive into the complexities of AI's dual role as a potential catalyst for inclusion and a source of discrimination for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Imagine a world where losing your voice doesn't silence you, where visual impairment doesn't rob you of the vivid imagery of life. This future is no longer just a dream; it’s gradually becoming a reality, thanks to significant technological advancements. As the dawn of the AI-enhanced future unfolds, a beacon of hope emerges, heralding a new era of inclusion for people with disabilities.

Big tech companies, from Apple to Google, are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to break down barriers and redefine user experiences for all. For example, Apple's Live Speech and Google's Lookout app are just the tip of the AI-empowered iceberg, each revealing the potential for a world where disabilities are not disabling but are merely challenges to be met with cutting-edge solutions.

As AI continues to evolve, it's becoming clear that these advancements offer more than just conveniences — they are the key to unlocking a world of opportunity for those who were once on the fringes of the digital revolution. But can technology really deliver on its promise of a more inclusive future for everyone?

AI's dual role: a catalyst for inclusion and a source of discrimination

The shiny distractions of technological innovation often lead to a glaring oversight — the exclusion of people with disabilities in the design process. AI's potential is indeed transformative, but its applications often overlook the intricacies of disability, leading to unintentional algorithmic biases and barriers.

Disabilities are diverse and dynamic, which demands a more nuanced approach. But this is seldom reflected in the datasets used to train AI. The rigid pattern-recognition structure of AI, indiscriminate categorization, and grouping could inadvertently limit the assistance it provides to people with disabilities, diminishing their opportunities in various aspects of life, such as employment and access to necessary services.

The adverse effects of this oversight are more evident when examining the rise of touchscreen technology. While revolutionary for many, the lack of tactile indicators can pose significant challenges for the visually impaired or those with nervous system disorders like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's. Interacting with touchscreen banking products or household appliances becomes a daunting task when accessibility features are absent or poorly implemented, requiring users to memorize complex sets of gestures.

However, amidst these challenges, there's a ray of hope with the advent of companies prioritizing inclusive design. We're finally grasping the tremendous potential of combining big data, machine learning, and user-focused innovation to transform assistive technologies into more intelligent and intuitive tools. But AI needs access to the right data sets to help people with disabilities.

Digital ageism: the overlooked bias in the AI era

The inevitability of aging is a universal truth we all must face, perhaps sooner than we anticipate. The advent of the AI era is opening up unlimited possibilities, yet it has also opened the door to a new form of discrimination — digital ageism. This term signifies the dangerous intersection of ageism and technological advancement, where older adults risk being left behind in the dust of rapid innovation.

The assumption that everyone is closely tied to the digital world neglects choices for those who can't use or adapt to technology, often the elderly. Without regulation, this group is overlooked in the energetic discussions about machine learning and AI biases, with digital ageism silently but powerfully causing harm. As AI algorithms take in and analyze societal data, they mirror and enhance existing biases, unwittingly creating a recurring pattern of inequality and age-based exclusion.

The danger lies not only in exclusion but also in misguided inclusion. AI systems, trained on data that largely excludes older adults or pigeonhole them into narrow, often stereotypical categories, risk reinforcing societal prejudices. The misconception that older adults are technologically inept or the blinkered view of them as inherently frail can creep into technology design, leading to systems that fail to account for the full spectrum of aging.

By unwittingly discouraging older adults from engaging with these digital tools, they also contribute to data deficits that could have been used to enhance AI accuracy for this demographic. The result? A "digital underclass" that primarily comprises older, poorer, marginalized groups who become victims of systemic digital ageism.

In an age where online services are ubiquitous and indispensable, the lack of technological access for older adults can have profound implications. Essential tasks such as banking become strenuous chores for those without broadband or smartphones. The widening digital generation gap disadvantages older adults, forcing them to pay more for goods and services while receiving less.

While carrying immense potential for improving quality of life across age groups, the digital revolution holds a hidden peril for older adults who often find themselves marginalized due to economic constraints. The price tag attached to the necessary technological tools — a smartphone, computer, or tablet, coupled with the recurring cost of a robust broadband connection — can be prohibitively expensive for older adults, particularly those surviving on limited retirement funds.

These financial barriers exacerbate the digital divide, effectively locking them out of a rapidly digitizing world. Even as AI-driven technologies promise to deliver enhanced healthcare, simplified transactions, and enriched communication, these advancements risk remaining tantalizingly out of reach for a significant segment of our aging population. This situation underlines a critical societal challenge: ensuring that the keys to the digital kingdom are not just available but accessible to all, irrespective of age, disability, or economic circumstance.

A call to arms for inclusive design

The future of AI holds immense potential for shaping an inclusive world, breaking down barriers for the elderly and people with disabilities. But harnessing this potential necessitates an industry-wide shift in perspective. We need a comprehensive overhaul of our design processes to prioritize inclusivity from the inception of every product, every application, and every service.

Let's strive for a future where disabled users are not technological castaways but active participants in the AI revolution.

A human story lies at the heart of every algorithm, device, and piece of software. And it is our collective responsibility to ensure that each of these stories, whether whispered by the elderly or echoed by someone with a disability, are heard and recognized in a more inclusive design process.

AI is not just a tool or co-pilot to simplify tasks. We need to think bigger than using it as just another entertainment medium or creating digital reincarnations of our loved ones. AI's immense potential can only be unlocked when fostering accessibility and inclusion rather than propagating exclusion. It's time to revise the discourse and consider how technology can be leveraged to assist those who need it most, ensuring that no one is marginalized or forgotten in the digital revolution.