Eight charity partners from across the deaf sector are excited to launch their new project, ‘BSL and AI: What is the Future?’, which gathers insights from deaf British Sign Language (BSL) signers on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could improve accessibility, while addressing where it might create new challenges such as representation, inclusion, and protecting BSL as a language.
This groundbreaking research project will bring together deaf BSL signers, community organisations and other partners as participants and peer researchers to share their views on how AI is used today, where it could help in the future and how it should be designed moving forwards.
Why this matters
There are around 151,000 BSL signers in the UK, including 87,000 who are deaf. The BSL community often faces barriers when accessing everyday services, from everyday activities like shopping or transport, to accessing healthcare. AI tools for BSL translation have the potential to make things more accessible such as transport, but it also risks creating new challenges for the community. As a result, it is vital that the views of the deaf BSL community are involved in every stage of this technology’s development.
How the project will work
The project will bring together deaf BSL signers from different backgrounds to spend time discussing and learning about AI from experts. The group will then discuss the future of AI tools for BSL together and share their views on where it may or may not be useful in practice.
At the end of the project, the project team will make recommendations about what deaf BSL signers want from AI technology for BSL translation and share these recommendations with government and technology leaders that build AI tools.
A shared statement from the partners
In a shared statement, charity partners Action Deafness, British Deaf Association, Cambridgeshire Deaf Association, DeafPLUS services, National Deaf Children’s Society, Royal Association for Deaf People, RNID and SignHealth, said: “We are excited to bring the BSL community together to share their views on AI tools for BSL. It will affect all of our futures, and this is our chance to shape it now. We hope that the results will encourage technology companies to make sure AI tools for BSL translation is made in a way that is effective and shaped by the people that will use it.
“We are looking for people who care about inclusion for the BSL community and want to play a part in shaping its future to get involved. If this sounds like you, register your interest today.”
Take part
If you are a deaf BSL user and you would like to find out more about the group discussions and register your interest, click here.