“Safety and responsibility and the good use of something are not contradictory,” says Unicef’s Irina Mirkina.

If it were, Mirkina adds, then it would be like believing “that cars should not have seatbelts because seatbelts somehow intervene with how good cars are.”

In other words, she believes that AI regulations will not prevent it from becoming a technology that will benefit the world, but, like a car, without any safety precautions, AI can be hazardous, particularly if mishandled.

“If we are building algorithms that supposedly help humans in their work, lives, healthcare, education, but in a way that harms some people, we are not actually helping,” she says.

Speaking at London Tech Week, Mirkina explained that, as a humanitarian aid organisation aimed at helping children globally, Unicef approaches artificial intelligence from a human rights perspective.

“When we are talking about technology of any kind, including AI, it’s about where it makes human lives better,” she says. “Where we are building a world in which humans will have better lives. Not robots, not machines, but humans and children.”

Last year, Unicef found that growing inequities, conflicts and climate change have slowed progress in aiding children’s health around the world.

For lack of access to food specifically, the organisation found that food poverty affects 181 million children under five in its most severe form, and around 200 million children under five suffer from stunting or wasting (caused by malnutrition).

Additionally, while the under-five mortality rate has fallen by over half since 2000, almost five million under-fives died in 2022.

Unicef managed to reach 6 million children with severe wasting treatment in the 15 acutely affected countries last year, exceeding the target of 4.5 million.

With statistics like these, reaching more children with support from technologies such as AI may help – but it needs to bring value for social good, health, education, as well as saving and protecting lives, says Mirkina.

“It also means using technology responsibly,” she adds. “Making sure that the systems we are building are safe, explainable, unbiased, and trustworthy.”

Where charities and enterprises align

From Mirkina’s perspective, there is not a big difference between Unicef’s approach to AI as a public international company and what private enterprises do.

“It’s still about building a robust system of processes and governance on top of ethical principles,” she says.

Three years ago, Unicef published policy guidance on AI for children, which Mirkina believes is still valid today.

The guidance, published in November 2021, a year before the breakthrough of generative AI solutions such as ChatGPT, outlines the opportunities and risks around AI, as well as “requirements for child-centred AI.”

The report suggests firms, governments and policymakers that develop and implement AI ensure that the tool is child-inclusive, fair, secure, and accessible.

But “how do we operationalise the policies in practice?” says Mirkina.

According to the AI lead, each day the team reviews and mitigates risks as it builds its products.

“It’s all about assessing and mitigating risk and impact for every solution and building proper accountability systems.”

AI use cases

Like many other organisations, Unicef is creating its own tools in partnership with technology firms.

“We are not a technology company, we never will be, but what do we actually do with AI?” asks Mirkina.

She reveals that the charity is building software tools that range from support for healthcare systems, and assistive technologies in education, social work and sustainability.

For instance, it’s combining satellite data and science to identify where underground, clean water is in dry regions of the world. Called ‘Unicef’s More Water More Life’, the initiative uses satellite imagery and conventional exploration techniques to map deep “aquifers” – bodies of permeable rock which contain groundwater.

According to the charity, this data-driven approach saves time and money that may have been spent unsuccessfully drilling for water in other locations.

In fact, in 2021, in a pilot the technology found drilling success rates almost doubled in Ethiopia, increasing from 50% to 92%, improving water access for 1.2 million people, including 74,000 children.

Similarly, the charity is using satellite imagery to map every school in the world, and together with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), it’s ensuring children have access to education and knowledge.

According to Mirkina, the organisation’s global map of schools, as well as its deep learning techniques, will help identify gaps in internet connectivity, and serve as evidence when advocating for connectivity and to help national governments optimise their education systems.

The map will also help Unicef measure vulnerabilities and improve its emergency response and resilience against natural disasters and crises.

“For us, it’s balancing the impact and finding valuable use cases,” says Mirkina.

“The value is what we can achieve together when we bring expertise together, ethicists, technologists, human rights workers, with actual practical expertise on the ground, and scale this across many countries, I think that’s incredible.”

The post How Unicef balances disruptive AI with safety appeared first on TechInformed.

The app is designed to help users determine their optimal clothing size, eliminating uncertainty and reducing the need to buy multiple sizes and return the rest. Fashion brands using the tech include Fred Perry, Lacoste, and Vivienne Westwood.

What activated your interest in fashion and where did the idea for the Unisize come from?

All our founding members were interested in fashion. As we saw more people buying clothes online, we wondered: ‘Sizing is crucial in fashion, so how are people buying clothes without knowing the fit?’. After asking around, we found many people were experiencing issues, which we saw as a business opportunity. We then researched competing companies but found no size recommendation engines optimised for smartphones.

I had played rugby since junior high and had thick thighs, so often struggled to find pants that fit. Wanting to help users like me, we launched a service called “unisize” that determines size through a simple questionnaire and allows comparisons with previously purchased items.

Can you explain how the app works and what technologies it utilises?

We have a patented technology that allows us to estimate users’ body shapes through a simple questionnaire. By collecting numerous samples for each ethnicity, we have developed our unique algorithm.

Additionally, apparel brands create a model torso called a “Body” to determine sizes when making clothes. Although almost all brands keep this Body information confidential, we have developed techniques to estimate these Body size details through diligent research. By combining our ability to estimate the Body size information of clothing with our algorithm for estimating users’ body shapes, we can provide highly accurate size recommendations.

Which fashion retailers are currently using your technology?

In Japan, our service is utilized by nearly 300 fashion e-commerce sites. In the UK, some well-known brands that use our service include Fred Perry, Lacoste, and Vivienne Westwood.

Lots of sizing guides rely on the customer having access to a tape measure – can your tech suggest sizing without exact measurements?

Our recommendation methods consist of four approaches. The first is the questionnaire method mentioned above. By asking about the brands and sizes of clothes frequently worn, we can easily and accurately infer the user’s body shape. The second is AI photo measurement. By taking photos from the front and side, we can accurately measure the user’s body shape.

The third is the purchase history comparison feature. This allows users to compare the sizes of items they have previously bought with the items they are considering buying now. The fourth method is registering clothes and comparing those clothes with the items they want to buy. Like the purchase history comparison feature, users can register the clothes they have on hand and compare their sizes with the sizes of the clothes they intend to buy.

How else do you think AI is informing sizing technology in fashion retail?

It will have a significant impact. We have also recently launched a service called FaceChange. Until now, we could only provide size solutions, but with FaceChange and the use of generative AI, customers can now add their faces to the online model and see how the clothing will look on them when worn. If you think of it in terms of a fitting room in a store, it’s like we’ve added a mirror to a fitting room that previously had none. Furthermore, with generative AI, we can create a more vivid image of how the clothes you intend to buy will look on you, which is very exciting.

How can products like Unisize help online retailers with their sustainability goals?

The act of returning items consumes a significant amount of energy and is entirely unproductive. By reducing such activities, we aim to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions by online retailers, even if only slightly. Additionally, by lowering return costs, we can increase profit margins, which in turn allows us to reduce clothing prices or enhance usability.

What other products do you have in the pipeline?

We’re launching Unisize DX,  a service designed to provide insights to our clients using Unisize, based on purchase data and browsing data. Additionally, we recently launched a service called Unisize for Kids. This service recommends clothing for rapidly growing children, providing information on whether the clothes will still fit one or two years later and what the length will be. This design makes it easier for users to make decisions.

We also plan to release a service called Unisize for Bag. This service will visually show users what can fit inside a bag and how large the bag will appear when they carry it (as bags often look smaller when carried by models). This information helps users make informed purchase decisions. Beyond these, we have plans to release various other services related to sizing.

Who would you give your ‘Best Dressed Man’ award to and why?

The rugby player Marcus Smith. Having played rugby myself, I have always been following him closely.

How do you take your coffee?

I buy coffee beans from my favourite coffee shop, grind them with a coffee mill, and brew coffee using a hand drip method. I adjust the strength to suit my condition and sometimes make iced coffee, all while relaxing. There is a terrace at my office, and having coffee there is simply the best.

What else do you do to switch off from tech and relax?

Gardening is my hobby. Currently, I am growing ginger, corn, shiso (a Japanese herb) and molokhia (jute) in my garden. My university major was agriculture. I initially pursued it with the desire to combat desertification, but my interest waned when I learned that poverty was the underlying cause of desertification, a problem not easily solved through technical means. Despite this, my connection with nature is very soothing, so I spend my free time working in the soil.

The post A coffee with…Shingo Tsukamoto, CEO and president, Makip appeared first on TechInformed.

The brainchild of manufacturing marketeer Mike Tarbard and IT support Simon Gurner (founder of IT support firm Sunrise Technologies), Every Child Online began during the pandemic, a time when many UK children were consigned to a world of digital learning, even when they didn’t have the means to go online.

“It started at a school in Essex during lockdown when we realised that 40% of the 1,400 pupils did not have access to online learning,” Tarbard, the charity’s CEO, explained.

Tarbard spoke with TechInformed at his stand at the cyber security event earlier this month.

“We thought that we could help, and so during that period, we partnered with a local radio station and became the Essex hub for tech donations from the public,” he recalled.

The model the charity devised is simple: Every Child Online is an IT asset disposal (ITAD) and collection service that gathers up old kit, wipes hard drives, and provides proof certificates that they have been wiped safely, complying with all UK data and environmental rules.

The charity then recycles or refurbishes the kit and redistributes it — free of charge — to schools and other groups that reach out to young people affected by digital poverty.

“We destroy them on-site or at our own premise, and we either refurbish or recycle the devices — laptops, computers, tablets, mobile phones…depending on the quality of the device,” he explained.

Along with partnering with local radio, work on LinkedIn followed, and over a four-year period, momentum has gradually built up around London and the Southeast.

According to Tarbard, to date, the charity has donated 20,000 refurbished devices (around £6m worth of refurbished devices) to its network, which now includes 300 schools, numerous charities and clubs, and social services clubs, all of which support underprivileged children and young adults.

Companies donating include law firm Kennedys, car maker Ford, and Microsoft “plus hundreds of other London businesses,” Tarbard added.

ESG goals

While there is clearly plenty of goodwill behind these enterprise donations, Tarbard points out that donating old tech and refurbishing it also counts towards corporations’ ESG and sustainability goals. The charity estimates that, to date, it has saved over 120 tonnes of e-waste from landfill sites.

Tarbard is also keen for his charity to take a more active interest than merely refurbishing the kit. He wants to foster a passion for tech among children and the careers it may lead to and ensure that young people use it safely.

“A real focus for us is to try and ignite the passion in kids for any digital creativity. Kids without a device will never be engineers, movie producers, or make music, or design and animation — let alone be able to use Windows or Excel or any of those tools that require them to get a decent job in a digital age,” he said.

“We want to partner with schools and other charities and clubs working with kids to teach this kind of thing — and for them to use it safely,” he added.

Current partnerships also include Vodafone’s Charities Connected initiative, which offers free connectivity through pre-loaded SIMs.

Tarbard also hopes to reach out to other digitally deprived communities and has just launched a social enterprise called Everyone Digital, which focuses on the tech collection but is forging partnerships with other charities and community groups.

“It could be for Silver Surfers’ projects, refugees, young adults in social care, or clubs other than schools that can’t afford devices.

Through all these endeavours, he wants to ensure that 100% of the kit is distributed to the charities it chooses to partner with.

“There are some charities that go in and collect devices that they fix and then hand them out to local communities, but then they must recoup their losses by selling a chunk of these devices on.

“A corporate firm may have given you 100 devices, but only 60% go to the causes. What we are trying to do is make sure all those devices are used for those causes…I think we’ve got a better story to tell.”

Tarbard adds that while the charity operates in London and Essex, it has set up a template that can scale elsewhere — now possible thanks to its social enterprise status.

For more information on how to get involved with this intiative, please visit https://everychildonline.co.uk/contact-us/

The post Asset disposal charity combats digital poverty at Infosec Europe appeared first on TechInformed.

The London-born mentalist, instead referenced Centre for Humane Technology co-founder Tristan Harris, explaining that “50% of AI engineers believe that there is at least a 10% likelihood that the mishandling of AI is going to lead to the destruction of humanity.”

Brown confessed the stat to be a “buzz-kill” to end his talk mostly themed on happiness, following the publication of his book Happy in 2016.

“New technology ushers in new responsibilities. If a tech confers power, then there’ll be a race, and if that race is unchecked, it leads towards tragedy,” he warned.

It wasn’t just Brown bringing gloom to the Manchester Central Convention Complex, as the famed British city experienced a typical downpour. But the rain – and Brown’s warning – couldn’t dampen a cautious sense of optimism at the annual event.

Talks on AI focused on promoting responsibility and taking the time to ensure safety and inclusivity across the technology sector.

NatWest Group’s strategy and innovation lead for its AI chatbot Cora, Mark Worden, expressed how the bank is keeping it customer-centric and inclusive: “If you design your experiences with permanent disabilities in mind, you’re automatically designing for everyone else as well,” Worden said.

His presentation also touched on how designing NatWest’s app and webpage for those with disabilities such as blindness helped cater to those with temporary issues such as cataracts, or those with situational issues such as simply having the sun on the screen.

Manchester Airport Group’s CTO, John Hudson, talked on stage about how pitfalls in technology are the fault of human design, not the technology. Bias, for instance, needs to be tackled by making sure the team building an AI is diverse, he said.

VP of operations at Groupon, Adam Lindsey, also mentioned the current journey his team is going on to not only personalise Groupon’s chatbot, but to do so in other languages to include international customers.

On day two, Paralympian and member of the House of Lords, Tanni Grey-Thompson, opened the conference with thoughts on how AI can help disabled people alongside Microsoft’s Greater Manchester lead, Marie Hamilton.

Hamilton noted the ability for blind people to be able to watch “pretty much everything” because AI can now write and read out what is happening on screen, and Grey-Thompson praised the technology industry for improved prosthetics and wearables.

Still, there is work to be done. Grey-Thompson said that there is only one health-based watch she can wear that will measure how the pushes in her wheelchair contribute to her fitness. She also said that disabled people need to be invited around the table more.

“Disabled people will often be asked for their opinion, asked to contribute at quite a high level, but they’re asked to do it for free,” she said.

“Pay disabled people for their lived experience and for their knowledge and expertise they bring to the table.”

Growth in tech in Greater Manchester

As the self-proclaimed “biggest enterprise IT event” in the North, DTX Manchester also leaned on how the city, the area around it, and the northern part of the UK is growing its tech scene while also keeping everyone involved.

On a panel talking about harnessing connectivity to create a positive impact in city regions, Kathryn Rees, director of strategy at Stockport Council, said: “It’s absolutely important to us here in Manchester and important to us in Stockport that we’ve got the right connectivity, in the right places for the right purposes, now and for the future, and it’s at the heart in Greater Manchester.”

“You’ll hear us talk about having a greener, fairer and a more prosperous city region, and digital is at the heart of that,” she added.

Rees articulated how Stockport council’s regeneration council will see 10,000 new homes built over the next decade within the town and ensuring that everyone is connected and included.

“We have to think about digital connectivity as a part of that,” she said. “It has to be about inclusion.”

Plus, Christian Riley, EMEA field CTO of web performance and security company CloudFlare talked to TI about the trends he’s seeing in the North as a Manchester-native.

“When I come back here every so often, something else has sprung up. Whether that’s supporting tech directly or supporting smart cities, smart people, huge amounts of digital initiatives for the City of Manchester itself, there’s lots of investment here,” he said.

“It’s an incredibly vibrant place to be and obviously backed up by events like this.”

The post DTX Manchester: NatWest, Groupon and Derren Brown claim inclusivity is key to tech growth appeared first on TechInformed.

With the UK’s IT distribution channel contributing around £50bn to the UK economy and requiring around 100,000 people to plug the current skills gap, the TCA’s Community Interest Company (CIC) is looking to promote activity in the channel and encourage more inclusivity.

The social enterprise is also poised to broaden the appeal of IT careers, focusing on outreach to those in education, individuals re-entering the workforce, and those considering a career pivot.

TCA identified a significant barrier to entry as the misconception surrounding the nature of IT jobs.

The initiative seeks to debunk myths such as the necessity of coding skills or a background in science and maths for success in the industry.

Special attention will also be given to underrepresented groups, including women, BAME, disabled, neurodiverse, and disadvantaged individuals, the TCA said in a press release.

Tech Channel Ambassadors plans to expand its reach and impact by engaging with schools, career advisors, and governmental bodies.

The initiative also calls upon the broader IT channel community, including vendors, distributors, value-added resellers, system integrators, and service providers, to join forces.

The initiative’s leadership committee includes well-known channel figures, including Ian Kilpatrick, former executive vice president of Nuvias.

Other committee members include Crayon managing director Hayley Mooney; Distology CEO Hayley Roberts; Westcoast executive director Alex Tatham; Rubrik director of channels and alliances Lisa Roberts; Rebecca Monk, chief people officer at Softcat; and Wendy Shore, who represents the TCA.

Addressing the long-standing issue of talent scarcity, Kilpatrick said:  “We have had a shortage of talent for decades, and there is a continual stress point with companies paying money to hire and retrain talent, followed by churn and then repeating the cycle again.

“This impacts remuneration at all points in the business chain, which then negatively impacts growth and profits.”

A recent Forbes survey revealed that 93% of UK businesses believe there is a clear gap in IT skills in the country’s job market.

Of the surveyed businesses, 41% highlighted the lack of training opportunities as the leading cause of this skills gap. Additionally, 37% also believe the problem is due to the need for more relevant educational opportunities.

Tech Channel Ambassadors committee member Kilpatrick advocates for a comprehensive strategy that introduces the IT industry to potential talent at an early stage, from primary schools to higher education and beyond.

Read TechInformed’s ‘AI for Inclusivity’ series to find out how AI is helping to diversify workforces.

The post UK nonprofit aims to fill 100,000 IT channel jobs appeared first on TechInformed.

As of February this year, the war has seen over 30,000 verified civilian casualties (although Ukraine believes that the real number is seven times higher). Just over 10,000 civilian deaths were confirmed and almost 20,000 injured.

In terms of the damage that the attacking Russian troops have reaped on the built environment,  almost half of Ukrainians in the east and south of the country report that their houses have either been damaged or destroyed, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.

A further 20% of Ukrainians surveyed in the same report added that they or a family member had been injured because of shelling, artillery fire or missile attacks in their country.

The demand for support has never been greater. The country needs help to ensure that its civilians survive, and heal; to help identify those missing, and to try and preserve the country they remember with its buildings, churches, museums, and historical architecture.

Against this context it’s hard at first to see how a piece of 3D scanning kit could be of much use in a war zone, and yet, Luxembourg-based 3D scanning firm, Artec 3D claims that its handheld tech can not only be used for digital preservation of historical architecture but is also helping in terms of identifying missing people as well as aiding burn victims and amputees.

Capturing war crimes

Already, law enforcement is relying on 3D scanners such as Artec’s to capture crime scenes. These scanners are used to enable the relevant authorities to piece together what happened, and to allow any new team or individual that enters the case to view a freeze frame of the crime scene.

3D Scans can also be used during court cases to allow a jury to examine a replica of the evidence in court. Plus, 3D scans are also used to help transport the jury to the scene of the crime, through virtual VR glasses.

The aim in these cases, according to Artec 3D’s president and CEO Artyom Yukhin, is to capture everything accurately and to store as much information as possible.

Artec 3D’s scanners were used to examine the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down in July 2014 in Ukraine by a missile that was recently confirmed to have come from Russia.

As the flight was heading to The Netherlands’ capital Amsterdam from Kuala Lumpur, the Dutch police used the 3D scanners to scan the plane, and piece the aircraft together to prove the missile’s origins.

“This was a big case for us because they put a lot of evidence together using our technology,” says Yukhin. As a result, he adds, the authorities “were able to put the puzzle of all the scanned pieces together, assemble the model of the plane, and to prove where the missile came from.”

As the conflict in Ukraine escalated, Artec 3D received an urgent request from the Kyiv Forensic Institute, an organisation they worked with previously gathering scans on flight MH17.

This time the institute required scanners because it lacked resources to document war crimes, which were happening at an unprecedented level in Ukraine.

Funded by The Defence Ministry of Luxembourg, Artec 3D sent its scanners to Ukraine, and provided online training and support to demonstrate how to effectively capture these crimes, and to help identify missing people.

“They have hundreds of unidentified bodies in terrible conditions, and they don’t know how to identify them, so they use our scanners to do this as part of a 3D forensic reconstruction,” Yukhin explains.

Preserving cultural heritage

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 56 locations on its World Heritage list are in some form of danger.

In Ukraine alone, UNESCO has reported that 341 cultural sites have been destroyed since Russia’s 2022 invasion, including religious structures, museums, and buildings of historical importance.

A further 15,000 pieces of fine art and artifacts have also been reported missing.

Work on digitally preserving sculptures, monuments, and even entire churches in the tragic event that they are destroyed during the war, is one of the aims of Skeiron, a team from the UNESCO-listed Lviv, best known for kick-starting the #SaveUkrainianHeritage project.

The Skeiron team – together with another scanning firm Koda, used Artec 3D’s handheld device Artec Leo, to digitise structures so that future reconstruction in the event of damage is possible.

Leo claims to be the world’s first wireless and AI-driven scanner with a 5-inch HD display and battery built in. Now, Skeiron’s “Museum in 3D” features more than 200 Ukrainian museum artifacts which have all been scanned by the device and are available to view online in colour.

“It’s a very important project to us,” says Yukhin, who adds that its scanners have also helped preserve heritage during the ISIS occupation when the terrorist organisation held about a third of Syria and 40% of Iraq.

At the time, archaeologists decided to start preserving historical sites after ISIS released videos of its fighters using sledgehammers, power tools, and bulldozers to demolish sculptures, stone carvings, and vandalising Iraq’s Mosul Cultural Museum in the ancient city of Nimrud.

After seeing the footage, French filmmaker Ivan Erhel headed to the country with archaeologist Abdulameer Al Hamdani and photographer Sarmat Beebl, armed with 3D scanners in hand, to digitally preserve the sites.

Prosthetic limbs for amputees

Artec’s scanners are also being used to help create new limbs for amputees. The firm works with organisations such as Handicap International in Rwanda, where it trained local hospitals to work with the scanners to provide children with prosthetic limbs to fit their growing bodies. A similar demand was needed for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Turkey last year.

“You want to make it best fit to the body,” says Yukhin. “It’s a lot of inflammation and irritation because, especially for legs, you put a lot of weight on a very small surface.”

Taking in the specific measurements of each amputee, the hospitals can design prosthetic limbs for each individual, helping to minimise discomfort.

Since the war began in 2022, reports claim that over 20,000 Ukrainians, whether it be civilians or military, have needed amputations, but only a small number have been able to receive either a bionic or prosthetic limb: “This is just to illustrate the demand,” says Yukhin.

Soon, Artec 3D hopes to help burn victims with reconstructing their skin: “Because of the explosions and rockets, there are a lot of people losing large areas of their skin.”

“There are [already] private clinics in France that use our technology to help produce artificial skin,” says Yukhin. Soon, the aim is to help perform the same procedure for injured Ukraine civilians, he adds.

The post Using 3D scanners to aid Ukraine appeared first on TechInformed.

As we move into 2024, attention has shifted from hypotheticals to tangible applications of AI in both enterprise and consumer spaces.

The bots in the background are streamlining operations and enhancing customer experiences, offering a glimpse into a future where technology serves as a force for social good.

Yet, amidst this optimism, a critical question lingers: How do we ensure that technological advancement doesn’t leave humanity in its wake?

The tech industry has faced significant challenges, from unrelenting job losses to the looming threat of cyberwars. In some cases, even physical conflicts have been exacerbated by AI-generated misinformation.

However, subtly woven into talks about next-gen connectivity at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, a different narrative emerged — a burgeoning desire for AI to foster inclusivity and empower marginalised communities.

AI holds transformative potential for neurodivergent individuals and marginalised communities. It promises not just a future of advanced technology but one of greater inclusivity and understanding.

So, how can this potential reshape our workplaces and broader communities?

Neurodivergence in the workplace

“Neurodivergent” describes individuals whose cognitive functioning diverges from societal norms.

It encompasses a range of conditions, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. In the UK alone, it’s estimated that around 15% of the population is neurodivergent. According to the CDC, almost 5.5 million adults in the US have been diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

Neurodivergent individuals often face unique challenges in the workplace, particularly in communication and professional relationships.

According to UK-based employment agency Reed, for example, people with ADHD might find it challenging to maintain focus during meetings or require more time to process information.

Similarly, those with dyslexia may struggle with written communication, potentially leading to misunderstandings when following written instructions.

These challenges underscore the necessity for workplaces to adapt. With its vast capabilities, AI offers innovative solutions that can support neurodivergent individuals.

AI-powered tools can assist with communication, comprehension, task management, and focus. The potential for AI to transform the workplace for neurodiverse people is immense.

Bridging innovation and inclusivity

At MWC, I spoke with Yo-en Chin, a creative technologist from Beek Studios, who collaborated with Deloitte at their Digital Makers Lab.

At the start of each day, the lab devs challenged themselves to identify a problem and ideate, design, and develop a working prototype of a solution by the end of the day.

When I stopped by, the task was “Neurodiverse and Inclusive Customer Interactions: to create a more comfortable customer experience”.

They had set up an idea board that anyone visiting the stand could add suggestions to, and they would incorporate those suggestions into their work — proving the practical utility of genAI while opening essential conversations about the role of AI in society, particularly its impact on neurodivergent individuals.

“So many people have come up to us today to share their personal stories about neuro-divergence”, Chin said, “whether they have it or their kids or people around them.”

She continued, “A big part of why we wanted to do this challenge is that there are a lot of people who are very worried about what AI will do, who don’t trust what AI will do.”

According to Chin, AI should augment, not dictate, human interactions, making them more comfortable and inclusive.

She argued that everyone should support using AI for inclusivity, as improving experiences for neurodivergent individuals enhances them for everyone. According to Chin, inclusive design goes beyond accessibility; it’s about creating systems, companies, and governments that don’t exclude anyone from the experience.

Democratising data

Another person I spoke to while weaving through the sea of IoT-connected F1 cars and robot dogs was Sarit Assaf, a general manager at communications and media service provider Amdocs.

Assaf said AI-powered tools, like generative AI chatbots, are revolutionising the workplace.

Chatbots created based on a particular business’s knowledge and data serve as accessible knowledge bases, allowing employees, especially those new or less experienced, to find information quickly so they can understand the business.

“We’re not replacing people but making them much faster,” Assaf emphasised. As a result, she says, you can employ more diverse and less experienced people.

“That’s what AI does; it democratises data. Now we have access to anyone who isn’t afraid of using the technology, and that’s the key.”

According to Assaf, the barrier is uptake: “From our survey, we learned that 50% of men are using genAI, while only 30% of women are. So, there’s a barrier to entry for different populations. But if we find a way to overcome this barrier, then every person will be able to boost themselves and their skill set.”

Assaf added that by making AI accessible to all, the potential for individual and organisational growth is unlimited.

In practice

According to Chin, Deloitte is already working on turning potential into reality.

“Deloitte is a huge company, and there are so many pockets of innovation around AI. We’re also building AI products or AI-enabled services and custom AI products. I know Deloitte has its own AI LLM,” she said.

After the event, I spoke with Matt, an operations specialist for a marketing agency with ADHD. He shared how AI has become integral to his daily routine, simplifying tasks and helping him stay focused.

The clarity and directness provided by AI, mainly through platforms like ChatGPT, have been transformative. “It’s just easier than Google,” he explains.

“It just helps fight through the clutter and stops me from getting overwhelmed with lists and multiple things that I need to sort through,” he added. “You can go off on tangents quite a lot with neurodiversity,” he said; using AI at work makes it easier for him to remain on task.

He also uses Grammarly, an AI-powered writing assistant, a lot. “If you’re someone with dyslexia, you might type out words twice, miss words, or type the wrong word. It’s perfect for picking up on that and correcting you.”

Limitations and biases

The reliability and biases inherent in AI systems also emerged in my conversation with Chin.

She remarked: “AI reflects our current systems, amplifying existing biases rather than solving them. We must confront these biases head-on, using them as a starting point for more inclusive design.”

A point similarly articulated in an open letter published this week by San Francisco-based venture fund SV Angel titled “Build AI for a Better Future.”

The letter, signed by leading companies like OpenAI, Salesforce Inc., Google, Meta, and Microsoft, outlines a perspective on AI’s potential to significantly enhance human life, from AI tutors that democratise learning to AI-powered medical diagnostics that promise to revolutionise healthcare.

Echoing sentiments shared by Chin and Assaf, it underscores the belief that AI’s ultimate impact on humanity will be determined by our collective efforts to harness its potential responsibly.

In a nutshell

Using AI in a business increases employee productivity and morale, as demonstrated by Matt’s experience and the insights from Chin and Assaf.

According to Reed, “Those with invisible disabilities and neurological differences will feel especially grateful to employers for creating a supportive and inclusive environment where using AI is encouraged, and assistive technology is normalised and available to all who might need it.”

The promise of AI in this context is not merely to accommodate but to empower, offering new pathways for neurodivergent individuals and marginalised groups to thrive professionally.

To Assaf’s point, by focusing on ethical AI development and reducing barriers to access, we can leverage technology to empower all individuals, regardless of their background or abilities.

As the conversation evolves, Chin concludes it’s an important issue we must confront.

“We shouldn’t shy away from hot topics like AI. It’s not just about great money-making use cases; there’s a big section of people affected by it that we should discuss more,” she adds.

“Design that includes everyone always provides the best experience and will always serve people the most. Addressing these biases is like one step towards a more inclusive society.”

Read the next article in this series: automating DEI in hiring and promoting

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She discusses Lush’s stance on owning its complete supply chain, fresh handmade cosmetics, and the revolutionary concepts of naked packaging, as with its shampoo bars and more recently, its first digital product for bathtimes, which can be controlled by mobile phones.

Baker, who initially had career aspirations of working for the UN, says Lush has allowed her to affect change in a more immediate and tangible way through ethical buying and community support.

She is candid about the challenges Lush faces by not operating within the typical digital frameworks like AWS or selling products via Amazon, forging a unique path with its own in-house digital ethics and tech developments. This has even involved suing Amazon for infringing Lush’s IP.

She continues by discussing the need for regulatory changes on social media platforms to protect vulnerable groups, particularly children, and Lush’s commitment to creating socially responsible, environmentally friendly products that resist the norms of the cosmetics industry.

For more in our ‘A Coffee with…’ series, click here. To watch more of our videos like this one, click here.

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Tēnaka, a social business that works to restore and protect marine ecosystems worldwide, is to use Orange Business’s automated data sets, from collection to visualisation, and leverage its AI-based data analytics to help restore a marine protected area of the Coral Triangle in Malaysia.

Its restoration helps protect and preserve critically important and endangered wildlife while supporting the economic independence of coastal communities in terms of food security and employment linked to tourism and fisheries.

At the moment, to collect data on its restoration, marine biologists need to dive into the areas and go through a visual identification and quantification of wildlife – including butterfly fish and parrotfish, invertebrates such as giant clams and sea urchins, and mega-fauna such as sharks, turtles, and rays.

Once back on land, the marine biologists will manually load the data into Tēnaka’s Science portal.

Now with the help of a Yucca lab marine research station which is composed of an underwater monitoring device with waterproof 360° cameras, and a solar-powered floating buoy, Orange Business software will capture images, and deliver them directly to scientists ashore, allowing researchers 24/7 access to the data.

Once the images are taken, they are sent to the cloud (via a local 4G mobile network and an Orange Business SIM card), and Orange Business’s AI algorithm analyses the images, automatically recognising and quantifying the various species in the reefs, taking away the manual processes.

“Regenerating the ocean is the best solution we have to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crisis,” comments Anne-Sophie Roux, founder of Tēnaka. “By leveraging technology, Orange Business brings critical expertise for us to scale our operations and reach a global impact.”

Orange’s future is ‘collaborative and iterative not generational’ says CITO

“We wanted to be part of the solution for an environmental challenge. Our employees worldwide support Tēnaka for its inspiring initiative in preserving and rehabilitating coral ecosystems – and one where our technology and digital services can really make a difference to create a positive impact,” added Kristof Symons, CEO international, Orange Business.

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As the UK’s largest cultivation charity, the Trust — which was established by Sir Robert Hunter in 1895 — is one of the country’s largest landowners and plays a key role in preserving many of its most beautiful and historical buildings.

It is also a place where old meets new, as the Trust seeks to implement new technologies to connect its 500 historic houses, castles, archaeological and industrial monuments, gardens, parks, and nature reserves.

In an exclusive interview with TechInformed National Trust CIO Jon Townsend explains: “It’s a huge operation, and we need to be able to provide the technology that’s ubiquitous so people can access it where they need to be in order to deliver on their roles and to deliver the public benefit.”

Sitting down with TI at the DTX conference in London, Townsend speaks passionately about new technologies, such as AI, and what they might offer his organisation.

“Everything from utilising technologies that give us a resilient network. We have about 25 million paying visitors every year, both members and non-members, we need to make sure those sites are properly connected,” he adds.

“We also need to provide those core services that every organisation needs: HR services, finance systems etc, and people need to be able to access those from anywhere, so making sure that they’re fully cloud hosted, fully secure services.”

The tech so far…

According to Townsend, the National Trust has integrated public cloud first and SaaS-based services in particular because they’re not built on infrastructure that needs to be made and maintained —”it means we don’t have to rely on bringing all of that access back to a single point,” the CIO explains.

Although integrating new technologies has been difficult for the charity since the pandemic, Townsend admitted, the National Trust has implemented a number of successful programmes, such as a resilient network across all sites and the migration of 100% of its data centres to fully cloud provisions.

“We’ve also implemented some great new technologies to interact with our members and doners, and the general public”, he adds, such as multi-cloud implementation Salesforce.

Townsend claims that Salesforce data cloud allows the charity to engage with supporters and new supporters in ways it’s never been able to before. It utilises AI to offer personalised content to individuals allowing them to take control of how they interact, rather than giving everybody the same messaging. “We’ll be delivering this over the next 12 months,” he tells TI.

“In the last year we’ve also delivered a new public website, built on AWS.” But when facing any challenging technology implementation, businesses must firstly understand what it is they’re trying to deliver, how it’s aligned to the strategic aims of the organisation and then build a business team, technology team, and data team that work together to understand what it is they’re trying to achieve, he adds.

A peek into what’s to come

The charity is now looking to implement digital experiences on the website, or another platform, for people who haven’t or can’t visit the sites.

“There’s a lot we want to do around immersive technologies, visiting sites or perhaps places beyond our boundaries,” Townsend says.

The charity plans to use smart sensors to help its conservation mission, whether it be buildings, collections, or in the natural environment. The Trust will use the data to inform decisions on preservation efforts but also work with partners to deliver public benefit.

Technologies such as QR codes offering additional information about places and their history, will also be trialled at some of the National Trust’s sites.

“For many people it’s an opportunity to go have a decompression from the world, while other people want to go there to interact,” explains Townsend.

“Imagine a world where you might have an immersive experience, you don’t necessarily need to be at one of our sites to do that, so maybe for people who can’t visit — or when you’re at a site where something has happened historically that’s hard to picture,  an augmented reality version might help people better understand that story.”

The charity has also established a working group that will look specifically at how generative AI can benefit the Trust and its customers in an ethical way,

“It’s also important to think about sustainability in everything you do. One of the key elements is having the irrefutable data to create an argument and make sure people understand the implications of what we’re doing,” he adds.

As the UK’s largest cultivation charity, measuring its output and emissions is a vital part of its goals, but tracking scope three emissions can be challenging, Townsend admits.

“From a supply chain perspective, part of our acquisition and procurement process is really understanding the sustainability credentials of suppliers and that we look into detail of their supply chains.

“They key is transparency. We try to work with suppliers that are transparent about their own scope 3 emissions.”

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