Re: FYI: Innovation around AI and AAC communication

Thanks, Lionel. I'm responding only to add APA and RQTF ...


Lionel Wolberger writes:
> https://www.forbes.com/sites/kolawolesamueladebayo/2025/12/10/how-ai-is-restoring-voices-lost-to-disability/
> The innovation addresses AAC and Post-Source.
> A few relevant excerpts:
> 
> A new generation of expressive, humanlike AI is reshaping what communication looks like for people who cannot speak. Today, the Scott-Morgan Foundation<https://www.scottmorganfoundation.org/> (SMF) and D-ID<https://www.d-id.com/> introduced SMF VoXAI, a multi-agent AI communication system developed with and for people with severe speech disabilities. Built around the simple idea that communication should feel human and not mechanical, the technology includes photorealistic, real-time avatars, eye-tracking inputs and coordinated voice generation that together turn slow text into flowing dialogue. It was architected by Bernard Muller, who is fully paralyzed by ALS and designed the entire system using only eye-tracking technology.
> ...
> People who rely on traditional augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices often describe a painful contrast about how their thoughts move fast, but their tools do not. And that often results in a form of communication that may be technically sound but emotionally thin. That?s the reality that SMF and D-ID hopes to change with this new technology.
> ...
> 
> High-end AAC devices ? especially those with eye-tracking and speech generation, such as the Tobii Dynavox I-16<https://www.altshift.education/item/i-16> ? can cost upwards of $15,000, placing real-time communication out of reach for many families and caregivers. SMF VoXAI introduces a freemium model, offering basic access at no cost and premium features at $30 a month. For a global population of over 100 million people<https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health> with severe speech disabilities, accessibility depends on affordability as much as innovation.
> This is a shift in the economics of disability support. Instead of specialized hardware, people can use everyday devices powered by AI systems that adapt to their needs. It reframes accessibility not as a custom solution but as a fundamental layer of modern communication tools.
> 
> ?
> 
> The impact of human-like AI extends far beyond speech disabilities. Perry sees it evolving into a general accessibility layer, one that helps people interact with the digital world in a more natural way.
> 



-- 

Janina Sajka (she/her/hers)
Accessibility Consultant https://linkedin.com/in/jsajka

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Co-Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Linux Foundation Fellow
https://www.linuxfoundation.org/board-of-directors-2/

Received on Tuesday, 16 December 2025 13:30:15 UTC