A session held this morning at the Centro Fundación Caja Rioja on Gran Vía has highlighted the importance of involving people with disabilities in the development of regulations to ensure inclusive use of Artificial Intelligence.
Carlos Granado, a researcher at Universidad Carlos III and participant in the project Communities of Practice to Promote Equality in the Digital Environment (COPID), emphasized the need for people with disabilities to not just be passive subjects but active agents.
By doing so, he explained, they can provide their perspective to ensure that the development of policies for implementing Artificial Intelligence takes into account the daily experiences of people with disabilities.
«They can contribute this vision to achieve more inclusive regulations,» he stressed, highlighting that «AI is a tool that not only poses risks but also offers benefits.»
He described how there are artificial intelligence systems that can translate information into voice or sign language, making information more accessible to them.
WORKING TOGETHER
Manuela Muro, the president of CERMI, emphasized the importance of collaborating with the public administration in developing policies.
She noted that while the administration may have good intentions, they are enriched by contributions from organizations like CERMI.
In this regard, Francisco Javier Ridruejo, the director general for the Digital Society of the Government of La Rioja, explained that they are designing a digitalization strategy to ensure that these technologies are applied in a way that leaves no group behind.
Their goal is to make the administration proactive, allowing access through natural language and enabling dialogue with automated systems over the phone.
Currently, there is a technological barrier for people with special needs or limited technological knowledge.
«With voice-based AI, individuals can interact and complete processes without requiring technological expertise, benefiting not only groups like CERMI but also others facing barriers,» he said, acknowledging that this voice system will take time to be implemented.