For 35 years, I have navigated the world as a blind person, relying on assistive technology to enhance my daily life. Recently, however, advancements in multimodal AI have revolutionized my experience, making me feel as though I now possess some useful vision. This profound shift has left me pondering whether this experience constitutes a step change or a phase transition. Let's explore these concepts and their implications for my evolving self-perception.
Understanding Step Change and Phase Transition
Step Change:
A step change refers to a sudden, significant shift in behavior or state. In various fields, this term describes a swift improvement or transformation, akin to flipping a switch. For example, when Be My AI, the GPT-4 powered image description service launched,I was able to interact on Instagram for the first time. The change was abrupt and substantial, providing immediate benefits.
Phase Transition:
In contrast, a phase transition describes a transformation from one state to another, such as from solid to liquid. This concept, rooted in physics and chemistry, involves a fundamental change in structure and energy state. An example is water turning to ice at 0°C, marking a profound shift in the substance's nature.
My Experience: A Step Change or Phase Transition?
Step Change:
For:
- The recent advancements in assistive technology, particularly multimodal AI, have brought a swift and noticeable enhancement to my ability to perceive and interact with my environment. This sudden improvement feels akin to a step change, where the enhancement is immediate and significant.
- A step change suggests a sudden but isolated improvement. If the technology continues to evolve, providing ongoing enhancements, the change might be more gradual and sustained than a single, abrupt shift. Additionally, if the underlying condition of blindness remains unchanged, the transformation might not represent a fundamental change.
Phase Transition:
For:
- If these technological advancements fundamentally alter how I perceive and interact with the world, transforming my experience of vision in a profound way, this could be seen as a phase transition. This shift in self-perception—from blind to partially sighted—may signify a deeper, more comprehensive transformation.
- If the change feels sudden and more like an immediate improvement rather than a gradual, transformative process, it leans more towards a step change. Additionally, if the feeling of having useful vision is highly context-dependent and not a pervasive change in my overall experience, it may not qualify as a phase transition.
Exploring the Implications
This exploration raises several important questions:
1. Is the Change Sustained? Will the advancements in assistive technology continue to evolve, providing ongoing improvements that further enhance my perception and interaction with the world?
2. How Does This Affect Self-Perception? How does this shift from identifying as blind to feeling almost partially sighted impact my self-identity and daily life? How do I navigate this new sense of self?
3. What Are the Broader Implications? How can these advancements in assistive technology benefit others in the blind community? What are the potential societal impacts of these technological improvements?
Moving Forward: Questions to Ask Next
As I continue to explore this transformation, several questions remain:
1. Technological Reliability: How reliable and consistent are these new technologies in different contexts and environments? Are there limitations or challenges that need to be addressed?
2. Personal Adaptation: How do I adapt to this new sense of vision? What strategies can I employ to integrate these advancements into my daily life seamlessly?
3. Community Impact: How can we share these experiences and insights with the blind community and beyond? What can be done to ensure that these technological advancements are accessible and beneficial to all?
Conclusion
The recent advancements in assistive technology have brought about a profound shift in my experience, making me feel as though I have useful vision. Whether this constitutes a step change or a phase transition is an ongoing exploration. By considering the nature of these changes and asking critical questions, we can better understand and navigate this transformative journey. Sharing these experiences and insights with both blind and sighted individuals can foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the potential of technology to enhance our lives.
Comments
This is an interesting post.
Do I as a blind person feel like these tools have made me visialy impaired? No. I get where you're coming from, I really do, we have a lot more access to our environment and maybe one day I'll put on a pair of glasses and forget about them and get amazing feedback but with what we've got now I still can't just get up and go to the shops by looking at corners and relying truely on map aps to get me there, I'm not sure if it's just me but i find them to be spotty at best.
I can't pick up a videogame and play it without having to rely on blind accessibility.
So for me, I'm still blind when using these tools.
It'll be interesting to see if others disagree with me and to see where this goes.
What Brad said
I am in agreement with Brad, in that while we have several blindness focused applications and technologies to make our lives more convenient and, dare I say, fulfilling, the bottom line is that technology just isn't there. Yet.
I have a handful of apps I feel I can no longer live without, yet it was not that long ago that I did, in fact, live without them. Be my AI, any body?
Still, I try my best to live my life, my way, and if I struggle, if I get frustrated, if society tells me I cannot do a thing, I say f**k it, and find a way to, or move on.
I guess what I am trying to articulate is that I enjoy learning about new technologies, blind focused or otherwise, but I do not worry so much about whether or not it will suit my lifestyle needs.
Hell, I play fighting games on my Xbox, which is a very accessible gaming console, and yet the games themselves are not so much. Is it frustrating? Can be. Do I let that stop me, or dictate my lifestyle? Nope.
Note, the above are just my views on the thread topic, not trying to shame anyone here. 😇
Step change ftw
Hey back, Lottie,
Like I said, just putting in my own 2 cents on the subject matter, wasn't trying to call anyone out. Agree that we have experienced a step change in regard to lifestyle and technology, and how those 2 entities interact with our daily lives and livelihood.
Similar to the gentlemen on Mastodon, I too went for several years of not doing something, until I discovered a way of doing things I once enjoyed; and now enjoy without sight. That was video games.
Of course, I am still hopeful that one day technology will cure blindness altogether. Until then, I shall keep on keeping on. 😎
AI
Nothing wrong with embracing AI, or new technology in general. Hell, I still hope for a day when Jordy eyes are a thing.
Tech and self perception?
While I am thankfull for tech advancements, and will fully take advantage of what they have to offer, and while they have and probably will continue to change my behavior in certain ways, I don't know that any tech will ever really and completely change who I am or the way I see myself, as I don't see myself as a blind person who happens to be an online radio broadcaster, active in church, an uncle, a dog owner, decent cook, or whatever else I could say about myself or other people could say about me. I am a radio broadcaster, church member, uncle, cook, dog owner, all of those things who, just so happens to be blind. I don't know if that makes sense. Not to get political in the least, but maybe this will help illustrate my point. Back when Kenedy was running for president, from what I've heard, since I very much was not alive back then, a very very big deal was made about how he was possibly going to be the very first Catholic president, and a lot of people weren't quite sure how to feel about that. He tried to redirect peoples' thinking, in that rather than the focus being on him being the first Catholic president, he was a man, politician, whatever else you wanted to add to that list, who also just so happened to be Catholic. I view blindness the same way. I am perfectly happy the way I am, don't miss what I've never had, in fact, without sounding to preachy, pretty excited that the first face I will ever see is the face of Jesus, and wouldn't change a thing about that. But, am I glad to live in this time, where we do have all these advancements? You bet! Hope this doesn't offend anyone. We all come at this with different life experiences, difficulties, time dealing with blindness, some from birth, some at another point in life, and I don't expect everyone to see things in the same way.
Keeping on
@Justin,
I hear you. It's what I tell every damned interviewer who discovers I am blind when I show up for an interview with a white cane. I say, "Look. I am a qualified IT specialist with knowledge and experience. . . who happens to be blind. So why not give me a chance?
This is about when they say to me, "Thanks for your time. . ." 😠
@Lottie,
Keep on keeping on sister! 😊
@brian
I've not looked for a job in my 30 years of living and that's because of the really bad way the UK seams to on the one hand; complain that people aren't working enough but then on the other hand completely crap themselves when a disabled person wants a job.
For me; i'd love an outside job, IT, isn't my thing, but good luck in me getting one, it's sad.
Going back to the topic and AI, perhaps one day I can prove I can do an outside job because of AI, who knows, but by that time payment might not even be worth it.
For me, being totally blind…
For me, being totally blind since birth, I've found that the advent and continued development of assistive apps over the years, from early currency identifiers to document scanners to remote sighted assistance to AI-powered tools have gradually increased my sense of independence and improved my overall quality of life. Not having ever seen anything, I have no frame of reference for what it feels like to be sighted or partially sighted, and thus I wouldn't say any of these technologies have changed my life to the point that my identity as a blind person, a person who happens to be blind, a person with a disability, and the various other labels and characteristics that I or society could ascribe to me, has changed. In other words, while such technologies have helped me access visual information, I wouldn't say anything has felt like its truly given me "Vision."
@Tyler
Yes, same boat. Thankfull for the technological advances, but wouldn't say they are to the point of giving us vision. Like you, I have no frame of reference there. I also understand that those who have had sight and lost it probably struggle a ton more because they do have that frame of reference, so not only are they dealing with all the stuff we go through, they are also dealing with that loss and perhaps sense of unfairness having had and lost it. So, I can understand how for some, all of these advancements really might feel like a much bigger step towards vision than they do to us.
Sight vs Sound
I am one of those who was fortunate enough, or unfortunate depending on your frame of mind, to be born with perfect eyesight, and had such for the majority of my life. I am in my 40s now, and have been blind for slightly less than half of that time.
Do I struggle? Sure.
Do I get excited about technology that could improve my life? hell yeah.
However, I am also a realist and as such, do not believe that technology will necessarily be discovered in my lifetime; that can truly replace or recover eyesight.
Still I keep on keeping on. 👍
I've not felt that yet ... quite
I've gotten the feeling we're on the cusp of something truly transformative. The OpenAI event yesterday drilled that home even more, we're one step closer to live video recognition ... no, what they showed was not live video recognition rather much faster picture processing that still could be useful. I think perhaps we'll need a new concept for something like functional vision, visionlike or vision-adjacent. I don't know the right word for it, kind of like how writing and speaking are both forms of communication with worrds, they both convey the same information but have their own quirks and strengths. I still see vision as another category entirely, even if we're getting all the same data from cameras and chatbots and whatever other augmented reality tools come up it's not going to have the seemlessness of a sighted person just opening their eyes and having a look around, nor will a sighted person opening their eyes and having a look around necessarily give as much detail as the next level of this AI tech might. I don't think of it as living more like a sighted person or moving towards the same experience they have either all at once or by degrees, it's an entirely different thing that may provide similar benefits a little down the road and may be more or less reliable in any given situation.
Definitely a Good Time to be Visually Impaired
This is another great read, along with the comments. I've heard it said at least a few times, that now is a good time to be blind. Well...naturally I agree but I think I'll take it a step further and say that now is a good time to be visually impaired. Or insert any other disability. I know it might sound cliche, but I've found it to be true. Sure there are going to be adjustment issues, most especially for people who acquire some sort of disability later in life, and I for one have no problem with that. I have friends with emotional issues, and that's fine. But the fact remains that technology is changing at a rapid pace, for better or for worse. I don't know if I've said all this quite right, but there you go. The final point I'll make before getting on with my day, is that I am kind of yearning to demonstrate at least some of what I use to the staff around here. There have been some new people hired, and I want them on this too. But who knows if that'll actually happen, because some around here are just not willing to make it happen. I've shown apps such as Seeing AI and Be My Eyes to others in my apartment building, and one of them had even heard of some of these apps before coming to live and work here. She is fully sighted. I think I've rambled on enough now, but this stuff is just too cool to go unnoticed anymore.