Seeing AI: A Visionary Accessibility Tool by Blind Engineer Saqib Shaikh Unveiled at Microsoft Build

On the evening of March 30, Beijing time, the Microsoft Build 2016 developer conference opened. During the keynote address on the first day of the event, the product that received the most applause was developed by a blind engineer.


The darkness before my eyes is no longer dark; I understand all the “white” you speak of. Saqib Shaikh, who joined Microsoft ten years ago, lost his sight at the age of seven. It was not until he attended a school for the blind that he had his first encounter with voice-enabled computers, sparking his dream of one day developing an application capable of identifying people and objects in his surroundings.


Now he has succeeded. Seeing AI is an artificial intelligence project by Microsoft that is still in the research and development phase. Saqib, together with a group of like-minded engineers, developed an app and smart glasses that can be used on smartphones and Pivothead smart glasses.


When you are faced with such a scene, the smart glasses will alert you that there is a teenager skateboarding ahead.


When socializing with a group of people, the app displays: the gender and approximate age of the individuals in front of you, as well as whether their facial expressions are serious or happy.


When you view the menu at a restaurant, the app can provide guidance on which direction to move your phone and whether the distance needs to be adjusted.



It can also read out the menu items to you via voice.


Saqib Shaikh feels that this is a scene that could only appear in science fiction novels before, but artificial intelligence is developing at an unprecedented speed, and there are many possibilities for the future.


The author muses: Perhaps if this app enters the Chinese market, it might follow the example of certain map applications by allowing users to choose voice guidance from celebrities such as Lin Chi-ling or Guo Degang.