Be My Eyes is an accessibility app for mobile devices that connects people who are blind or have low vision with sighted guides and live video calls to help with Microsoft’s AI training. Be My Eyes provides anonymized video data to improve scene understanding in Microsoft’s accessibility-focused AI models.
The data set that Be My Eyes provides to Microsoft includes “unique objects, lighting, and frames that realistically represent the lived experiences of the blind and low vision community.” The goal is to make Microsoft’s AI more inclusive for people with visual impairments.
The companies say all personal information has been removed from the metadata. The data you provide will not be used for any purpose other than advertising or training Microsoft’s AI models.
This is the first such data partnership for Be My Eyes, which has previously worked with Microsoft to incorporate its Be My AI tool into Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk. As the name suggests, Be My AI is the company’s assistance product powered by GPT-4. Then visually impaired people can use Office, Windows, and Xbox.
Be My Eyes also signed with Hilton earlier this month. In these cases, dedicated hotel staff can help guests who are blind or have low vision adjust the thermostat, make coffee, or raise or lower the blinds. A previous partnership between the two companies in 2023 helped train the Be My AI model.
