Episode Details

Welcome to a new episode of Unmute Presents, where we dive deep into the ever-evolving landscape of AI and tech innovations. In this episode, we discuss Everett Bacon's new role as vice president of blindness initiatives at AIRA, a leading organization in providing sighted assistance to blind individuals. We also ponder the reliability of AI chatbots and their potential risks, as evidenced by the recent controversy surrounding an eating disorders hotline chatbot. Marty and Lynn delve into AIRA's revolutionary service that pairs technology and human assistance, helping visually impaired individuals with everyday tasks. They also explore the backlash against recent subscription rate hikes and highlight free usage opportunities at locations like airports and Starbucks. The conversation shifts towards the fraught topic of AI chatbots, specifically addressing the problematic advice given by an eating disorder hotline chatbot. This raises vital questions on the reliability and programming of chatbots, the role of AI in critical health support, and the necessity of human oversight in these AI systems. Finally, we eagerly anticipate the upcoming WWDC event and speculate about new Apple products, from larger screen MacBook Airs to AI-powered virtual reality goggles. Join us as we navigate the promises and pitfalls of AI technology, the groundbreaking advancements and critical ethical questions they bring to the table. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe to stay updated with the latest tech trends and AI developments!

Transcript

Marty: [0:05] Hey all, Marty here and we're back with another Friday Finds and with me, as always, I have Lynn. How you doing, Lynn?

Linn: [0:11] Hey, how's it going, guys? So meet Mr. Everett Bacon. You may not know him, but he is new with AIRA. Been named vice president of blindness initiatives.

[0:29] And what is that exactly? So, of course, we know, most of us do know what IRA is, but for those who don't, basically what it does is it provides sighted assistance to a blind person. Say, for example, you dropped a pill on the floor, you need help locating it, you are not sure that two pieces of clothing match, or maybe you think you have a stain on a piece of clothing and you're not really sure, you can actually call up and talk to a real human and they can do all kinds of things. Like they can, they will tell you where to point your camera. I've used it sometimes for like, if I have a box of, say I wanna make a cookie mix or something and I want real quick help to know how to actually do it. What's nice about them is that they are bonded. So all the people that work there are bonded. So there's a little bit more safety, like if you need to do personal things where you need to use a credit card or a social security or whatever, they are trained.

[1:43] So there's just a lot of nice things And they've had a little controversy because of some, well, like everybody else, they were raising rates, you know, raising the amount that we had, that people have to pay. It's a paid service. You get like five minutes for free. and, So, you know, it's a great service if you can afford it, which I really can't.

Marty: [2:09] And a couple of things I will say also right out of the gate that's really cool. First of all, it is an app, you put it on your phone and then you use the app to contact a person to help you. And then the camera on your phone, they're able to see through your camera and tell you what you're looking at or what you're trying to look at. So that is pretty cool. Also, as Lynn was saying, yeah, there was a little bit of controversy earlier because they were raising their subscription fees and everyone's getting subscriptioned out as we've talked about here quite a bit. But there is some cool stuff also. For example, they're working with a lot of the airports and if you're within an airport, if they offer it, which a lot of airports are jumping o