The lack of machine learning datasets that include people with disabilities has proved to be a major roadblock for developing technological solutions customised to their needs. This is often referred to as'data desert'. It is a common practice for organisations building technology products and services to use data at an aggregate level, which leads to stereotyping and being exclusionary in the process. Earlier this week, Microsoft, in a lengthy blog, revealed its roadmap to deal with this data desert which has become a major hindrance in making artificial intelligence accessible to people with disability. The tech giant Microsoft has revealed its various collaborations to'shrink this data desert' as discussed below.

Cambridge, United Kingdom – Theo, a 12-year-old boy who is blind, is seated at a table in a crowded kitchen on a gray and drippy mid-December day. A headband that houses cameras, a depth sensor and speakers rings his sandy-brown hair. He swivels his head left and right until the camera in the front of the headband points at the nose of a person on the far side of a counter. Theo hears a bump sound followed by the name "Martin" through the headband's speakers, which are positioned above his ears. "It took me like five seconds to get you, Martin," Theo says, his head and body fixed in the direction of Martin Grayson, a senior research software development engineer with Microsoft's research lab in Cambridge.

Project Tokyo was inspired in part by the results of related research at Microsoft that demonstrate possibilities from emerging technology. The Cognitive Services Face API used in the Seeing AI research project highlights the potential benefit of improved facial recognition technology. The Cities Unlocked project taps rich streams of geo-based data to accurately inform users of the proximity of landmarks and destinations via a 3D SoundScape experience. We're excited about the prospect of entirely new prototypes emerging in Project Tokyo as a result of the enhanced expertise developed under these efforts along with the expertise provided from our partners.