Microsoft, Be My Eyes Work Together for AI-Powered Customer Service for the Blind

Microsoft formed a partnership with Be My Eyes, an app for the visually impaired and the blind, to make the company's customer service more accessible.

Microsoft Joins Be My Eyes' Mission

Be My Eyes was founded in 2015 with the goal of helping the visually impaired handle tasks by pairing them with sighted volunteers. The website states the company is made to connect people "needing sighted support with volunteers and companies through live video around the world."

Since then the company has been partnering with various companies such as Google, P&G, Verizon, and more. Now that the company is teaming up with Microsoft, both companies are looking forward to the change it can make.

"The collaboration will let users of Microsoft products who are blind or visually impaired resolve hardware issues or navigate such tasks as installing a new version of Windows software or describing a PowerPoint presentation - all without human assistance," the company shared in a statement.

Be My Eyes Utilizes OpenAI's GPT-4

The company also established its own artificial intelligence tool called "Be My AI." The company proudly shared that it is powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT-4 model which helps in generating a photo description from product labels to any items.

Bloomberg also reported that the Washington-based software giant, The Redmond, will be integrating the Be My AI into the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk. The technology was initially formed to handle customer service calls and will now be used to extend its services to the visually impaired.

Meanwhile, OpenAI boasted of the Be My Eyes' usage of GPT-4 stating that the company is proud to work with them as their AI models are used to significantly improve the daily lives of people with low vision.

The collaboration between Be My Eyes and Microsoft was already tested earlier this year. The results showed that only 10 percent of people who interacted with AI opted to switch to a human agent. Moreover, inquiries were proven to be resolved faster with the help of Be My AI.