No ratings yet.

As the 2024 US presidential elections approach, we can start to reflect on how the campaigns on both sides have played out and how technologies have played a role. As many media outlets predicted, especially AI would heavily influence these elections, but this did not always play out as anticipated.

Over 30 tech companies had shifted their focus to the elections and pitched AI tools to the campaigns, offering everything from AI generated videos to automated voter outreach. However, skepticism among voters has been a major barrier. A good example is the democrat Matthew Diemer who ran for Congress in Ohio and experienced this firsthand when voters hung up after only a few seconds during AI-powered robocalls in his campaign.

Differently, AI’s presence is also felt through political memes, which have the potential to spread harmful narratives, although often being absurd. A recent report by The Associated Press highlights how Trump supporters have used AI to create surreal, sometimes offensive imagery. Even though these AI-generated images are often exaggerated, they can still spread false information and fuel divisive rhetoric.

The growing use of AI in politics poses both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, tools like chatbots and AI generated content could make campaigns more efficient, allowing candidates to engage with voters at scale. But on the other hand, voter distrust and the potential for deepfakes and disinformation makes AI a double-edged sword.

In my opinion, one of the key issues is trust. Voters have suspicions of automated, impersonal engagement and the rapid spread of misleading AI generated content only worsens this. AI can help make campaigns operate more smoothly, but it should be used in a transparent and ethical way, or it has the potential to further damage public confidence in elections.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ai-helping-shape-2024-presidential-race-experts-feared-113892548

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/19/concern-over-the-impact-of-ai-on-2024-presidential-campaign

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/21/technology/ai-election-campaigns.html

5/5 (1)

After hearing professor Ting Li talk about her interesting research on the use of AR glasses for people struggling with impaired hearing, I started to research other innovative companies that leverage new technologies to help people who are impaired or disabled.

Firstly, my research brought me to a company called Envision. Through their glasses, which have a camera and a direct speaker, everyday visual information can be articulated into speech. By using generative AI, it speaks out text and environmental information and even recognizes face, light and colors. For blind or visually impaired people this is an amazing solution that could help them in their everyday life to experience more independency and perceive possibilities, without relying on other people.

Second, I came across Neuromersiv, a company that aims to empower stroke and brain injury survivors. Due to, among others, a lack of motivation for therapy, limited access to it or dependency on costly rehabilitation equipment, up to 66% of people don’t regain functional use of their affected upper limb(s) after a neurological injury. Neuromersiv aims to help those people with clinically designed virtual reality-based neurological rehabilitation solutions. For example, they offer VR glasses that immerse people in realistic environments where they can practice ordinary daily actions to build confidence and recover faster, while at the same time, the therapist can track their movements and progress.

A last company that I wanted to discuss is XR health, whose VR glasses can be used in several forms of therapy, such as cognitive, neuro or mental health therapy. Integrating VR into healthcare, this company aims to make therapies more effective, engaging, and accessible for patients across various medical fields. For for instance mental health therapy, the VR platform provides a safe and immersive setting for treating phobias, depression, anxiety, traumas and more, and so empowering the patient.

As I reflect on my research in these companies, I am happy to have found the ways in which technologies can be used for the people who need it the most. Looking into the future, I hope new inventions will lead to even more great solutions.

www.letsenvision.com/glasses/home

www.neuromersiv.com

www.xr.health.com