To harness AI’s potential for promoting neurodiversity, we need a diverse, equitable, and inclusive approach to AI development. Transparency, explainability, and accountability must guide the design for accessibility, especially for those with neurological differences like autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. With any new technological advancement, we get shortsighted with quick wins and put the long-term objectives or goals on the back burner until the technology is proven, a strategy most innovators favor. However, this bias prevents investing time to make this technology inclusive. We are at the cusp of AI advancement, and the choice of being inclusive of neurodiversity or following the beaten path remains with the innovators. This article illustrates how AI can be leveraged to build tools that can be inclusive with a little bit of an additional effort.
Culture is more abstract in the context of biodiversity; it has to do with values, thoughts, expectations, roles, customs, social acceptance, and so on; things get tricky.
Discoveries and inventions are driven by personal motivation. Judy Singer started exploring the concept of neurodiversity because her daughter was diagnosed with autism. Autistic individuals are people who are socially awkward but are very passionate about particular things in their lives. Like Judy, we have a moral obligation as designers to create products everyone can use, including these unique individuals. With the advancement of technology, inclusivity has become far more important. It should be a priority for every company.