Can AI help the blind navigate cities? One gamer's experiment
Mashiro, a blind Japanese eSports gamer, recently utilized artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT to navigate his way to a Para eSports meet-up in Tokyo. The 26-year-old Street Fighter player typically relies on a companion for city navigation but is exploring AI as a means of independent travel. "I can't participate in an event like this without someone to rely on," Mashiro told AFP, adding that he sometimes prefers traveling alone without conversing with others.
ChatGPT assists in navigating Tokyo streets
The AI chatbot used by Mashiro is the latest version of GPT-4o, developed by OpenAI. This advanced AI can comprehend voice, text, and picture commands in multiple languages. Experts believe such technology might make education, employment, and other everyday services more accessible for people with disabilities. During his journey, Mashiro followed tactile paving on the streets and used his stick with a small monkey mascot, to find his way from the station.
AI chatbot provides directions suitable for blind people
Mashiro interacted with GPT-4o as if it were a friend, receiving its responses via an earpiece in one ear, while keeping the other free to listen for cars. After asking for basic directions, he informed the bot of his blindness and requested further details suitable for blind people. The bot responded helpfully, advising him that he might witness an increase in crowd noise and activity sounds as he got closer to his destination.
Blind gamer's journey with AI takes 4 times longer
Despite the assistance from GPT-4o, Mashiro's journey took around four times longer than it would for sighted people due to several U-turns. When heavy rain started, he had to request help from a partially sighted friend to complete his journey. However, Mashiro remained positive about the experience, stating that although it was challenging due to the bot's limited recognition of Japanese words as well as locations, the experiment was "a lot of fun."
