Be My Eyes, an accessibility app for mobile devices that brings blind and low-vision people on live video calls with sighted guides, will help Microsoft train its AI. Be My Eyes will provide anonymized video data to improve visual understanding in Microsoft’s accessibility-focused AI models.
The data set that Be My Eyes will provide to Microsoft will include “unique objects, lighting, and framing that realistically represent the lived experience of the blind and low-vision community.” The goal is to make Microsoft’s AI more inclusive of people with visual disabilities.
The companies say all personal information has been removed from the metadata. The data provided will not be used for advertising or any purpose other than training Microsoft’s AI models.
Although this is Be My Eyes’ first such data partnership, it has worked with Microsoft before by incorporating its Be My AI tool into Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk. As its name suggests, Be My AI is the company’s GPT-4-powered assistant product. In that case, it helps visually impaired people navigate Office, Windows, and Xbox.
Be My Eyes also inked a deal with Hilton earlier this month. In that case, dedicated hotel staff help blind and low-vision lodgers do things like adjust their thermostat, make coffee, and raise or lower their blinds. A previous 2023 partnership between the two companies helped train the Be My AI model.
That matches the price of this set for Black Friday. This is our current favorite premium power bank, thanks to the sleek design, easy-to-read display, and fast charging capabilities. But what really makes it stand out is the charging base. Magnets align the base with the battery, so it’s easy to put down and recharge. The base also offers additional USB ports, so you can charge other accessories at the same time.
All four colors are currently on sale at Amazon for the latest MacBook Air. We gave the laptop a positive review last year, with plenty of performance for both productive work and casual play. The keyboard and trackpad are fantastic, making the laptop fun to use. We currently recommend the M3 MacBook Air as the best MacBook for most people.
If you’re a Prime member, you can save $50 on the recently released Colorsoft Kindle, also known as the first Kindle with color. This is the first discount we’ve seen since this model debuted. We encountered a “yellow band” problem with our review unit, but we later received an updated reader on which Amazon made “appropriate adjustments” to resolve the issue.
The software and display adjustments the company implemented worked — and we actually liked the overall effect better. Check out our review for the full story.