At the University of California, researchers have been working hard. They have just created a new artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology that could eventually be revolutionary for people who have suffered strokes.
Ann Johnson, a 30 year old math teacher at Luther College, suffered from a stroke and was paralyzed in 2005 separating her from a new marriage, baby and 8 year old stepson. 18 years later, she is helping researchers at the University of California San Francisco make a technology that lets people talk through a computerized person: A.I.
A.I. technology has been growing exponentially lately. ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence bot, can write entire essays in a blink of an eye. Apps implement A.I. to create digital art with simple commands. A.I. can also be used to automate tasks that people normally do. However, what if AI could be used to change how people with disabilities can stay connected with others?
Ann currently communicates with others using a device that lets her slowly type with small movements of her head. Implanted in her brain is a very thin plate consisting of 253 electrodes that intercept the brain signals that would’ve gone to Ann’s tongue, jaw, and face. A cable, connected to her skull, is plugged into the computer. “For the AI to work, Ann attempts to talk, which sends brain signals for the electrodes to decode and convert into movements. This is then sent to an A.I., which is programmed to sound like Ann by using a recording of her voice from her wedding.
“The decoders reached high performance with less than two weeks of training. Our findings introduce a multi modal speech-neuro prosthetic approach that has substantial promise to restore full, embodied communication to people living with severe paralysis,” according to the UCSF team working with Ann. The communication method will eventually be a worldwide revolution for people who are paralyzed to be able to speak with others.
“Researchers are trying to create a wireless version of what you just saw so Ann and others in the future don’t have to be physically connected to the computer.” according to the team of researchers at the UCSF working with Ann. Reports by the researchers and scientists are being shared about this revolutionary technology that will forever change how paralyzed people can talk to others, being able to tell what they want or are feeling.
This creation is just the beginning of a new medical science utilizing A.I, and could open up many possibilities for other people with disabilities to be able to express their feelings as best as possible with their friends and loved ones, all because of an invention: artificial intelligence.
