HP may have plenty of AI software and hardware to show off, but accessibility is the best and only future of AI
I recently attended an HP Imagine AI event, which covered the full scope of the tech giant’s plans for AI in both its software and hardware. This was one of many recent events, showcases and hands-ons from numerous manufacturers eager to show media and buyers what they have to offer in this increasingly crowded market.
While HP’s offering was quite interesting, and often seemed quite useful, it all begs a much larger question: What’s the point of all this? A second question must then be asked: What’s the real future for AI? Once you strip away all the glamour of these AI events, the shiny new AI PCs, and the plethora of AI-powered software and tools, this is the fundamental question that remains.
After thinking about it for a while, I think I have found my misleadingly simple answer: accessibility. A simple answer, but a profound one that brings out the true potential of AI.
What did HP reveal?
HP first delved into its mission statement regarding AI: to make AI real, it needs to be tangible, demonstrate HP leadership, and catalyze the industry. The manufacturer also made it clear that one of its main goals would be to address public concerns about trust and establish a verification system in AI models. It also needs to address issues such as hallucinations, drift, and bias in its AI datasets. Whether HP can deliver on these ideals, however, will remain to be seen.
One of the major reveals was the HP OmniBook Ultra 14, which packs an AMD Ryzen AI 300 SoC with a 55 TOPS NPU, up from even AMD’s standard 50 TOPS NPU, and part of a joint effort between AMD and HP. It was also said to be 45% more powerful than Apple’s M4 chips. It’s a bold claim, and one without specific data like benchmarks to back it up, but if there’s any truth to it then we could be looking at a truly incredible machine.
Finally, HP unveiled AI software and tools that will take advantage of the built-in AI. Zoom, for example, noted that 40% of users use fake backgrounds, so it improved image quality and eliminated disappearing items to create a more seamless look. Two editing programs, Djay Pro and Blackmagic Design, offer deep music and video editing tools that beginners can use. There’s also Loccus.ai, an AI tool for safety and trust that uses a Trojan neuronetwork to combat audio deepfakes, one of the most deceptive and rapidly evolving types.
Accessibility is what AI was made for
The two most promising AI programs I saw were both accessibility-based. Cephable is similar to Google’s own Help Me Hands-Free tool in that it offers facial recognition, head tracking, and voice input via speech recognition. This provides alternative navigation methods for those who can’t use a keyboard and trackpad or mouse. Because this tool runs on the AI-powered NPU, it frees up the processor and graphics card for other processes.
OmniBridge is an incredibly useful tool currently in development that targets an unfortunately niche and underserved market. This program translates sign language into both spoken language and text simultaneously, made possible by using AI that analyzes 3D space to interpret gestures in real-time. While still in Alpha, the program already knows 5,000 signs, with the ultimate goal of learning 10,000 or being completely fluent.
It’s not hard to see what kind of potential these two programs have. Not just on their own merits, but in terms of what other types of accessible programs could be created with AI. I’d love to see more of these AI tools developed in the future, it’s really exciting to see what can be done with the technology for the greater good, rather than just for profit.
Final thoughts
We are seeing AI sweep through the tech industry at an accelerated pace, with every tech giant creating their own AI-based software and hardware to capitalize on the trend. Of course, as with many other recent developments in technology, it comes with a incredible ecological costs. AI no longer needs large data centers to power both generative AI and the cloud storage it often relies on, which has been the case for some time. huge amounts of water and other sources.
There is also the big problem of plagiarism, as AI is trained on copyrighted music, paperwritten works, research, art and photosand more. And unfortunately, while laws are being developed to combat this problem, creatives and journalists are still being pushed out of their industries in favor of companies that use these AI tools to create content.
AI has never been entirely bad, though, and even now there are ways to apply it to help those who need the tools most. From what I saw at HP’s Imagine AI event, the accessibility tools were by far the most creative and helpful of the bunch. They tackled real problems and demonstrated why AI is needed to solve them, using the power of AI to help underserved markets. Not to mention, the same technology can be done without disrupting other PC processes, meaning you can continue your productivity and creative work or even gaming while these accessibility tools help you at the same time.
If we are to endure a world oversaturated with AI, much of which is actively harming others and the planet, the only use I want to see is that which actually helps others. Less tools about how to spy on employees using their mobile phones in Zoom calls, and more tools that translate sign language into multiple spoken languages.