Accenture Develops an AI-Powered Solution for Visually Impaired People

Accenture, a global professional services company, has developed an AI-powered solution that improves the way visually impaired people experience life at home and at their workplace.

Accenture’s AI-powered solution called “Drishti”, which means “vision” in Sanskrit, is a smartphone-based assistance that uses AI technologies such as image recognition, natural language generation capabilities and natural language processing to describe the environment in which visually impaired individuals live and work.

In partnership with the National Association for the Blind in India, Drishti was tested in 10 visually impaired professionals in India. The AI-powered solution tells the user how many people are in a room, their genders, ages and emotions based on facial expressions. The smartphone-based solution can also narrate text from books and documents such as currency notes. It can also tell the user if there are obstructions along the way such as glass doors to put the user out of harm’s way.

“Through the innovative use of technology, we’ve seen first-hand how the Drishti solution Accenture developed can enable visually impaired individuals to lead more inclusive and productive lives,” Pallavi Kadam, executive director, National Association for the Blind in India, said in a statement.

Accenture plans to introduce Drishti to over 100 visually impaired employees in India. The AI-powered solution for the visually impaired is currently being piloted at Accenture in South Africa. The Spanish language version of the product is being tested with Accenture employees in Argentina.

Sanjay Podder, managing director of Accenture Labs in Bangalore, said that Drishti shows how artificial intelligence can be used for good or as answer to complex human challenges. “By harnessing the rapid advancements in AI technology, we’ve demonstrated – through the pilot with the National Association for the Blind in India, as well as with Accenture’s own employees – the impact innovative solutions such as this can have on improving the way people live and work,” Podder added.