Unilever Expands AI Technology to Support Accessibility Assistance

AI may become an important tool for improving accessibility assistance. To achieve this goal, Unilever has partnered with accessibility app expert "Be My Eyes" to introduce AI-assisted cooking for blind and visually impaired shoppers.

The development of such a solution aims to connect blind or visually impaired individuals to a network of volunteers and AI-driven virtual assistants to expand their use of AI. This new collaboration is based on Accessible QR Codes (AQR) developed by computer vision expert Zappar.

The project is part of Unilever's global strategy to use new digital experiences and technologies to evolve and differentiate the interaction and use of Unilever products by shoppers.

A new era of accessible assistance for products

"Be My Eyes" is the only completely free app that allows blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind users to access real-time accessible information from volunteers, trained customer support representatives, and AI assistants.

The organization also announced its "Be My AI" product powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 technology in November 2023. It aims to improve accessibility assistance for large tech organizations like Microsoft, where individuals can use "Be My AI" to handle a range of complex use cases, including the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.

Now, Unilever is trialing this technology in the UK with its Singaporean noodle brand, Meal Maker, and plans to introduce it to more of its brands. This is the first integration of "Be My Eyes" AI technology with a food product, meaning AI can be introduced into home environments.

Users will be connected to a human volunteer or a virtual AI chatbot that uses Chat GPT-4 functionality to handle user queries. The AQR codes used are developed by Zappar, which enables detection from a greater distance by adding a dot pattern in one corner of the code.

Technologies like AI promise improved connectivity and self-expression, and the world's largest and most renowned companies like Meta, Google, and Apple ensure that technology is an integral part of their business practices. By making conversational AI, such as chatbots, more accessible, companies can reach a wider and more diverse customer base.

"Be My Eyes" CEO Mike Buckley said, "Unilever is committed to pioneering a new era in product accessibility assistance and disability convenience by using the new Zappar technology with 'Be My Eyes'."

Alleviating enterprise anxiety about AI

Unilever is also collaborating with "Be My Eyes" to train volunteers and provide specific Coleman product information and data to the Chat GPT-4 AI bot. The company's customer support team will also be integrated, allowing shoppers to be automatically connected to the Coleman Careline team for further support when needed.

This way of combining AI with human labor is a very positive use case for technology. Making technology more accessible is a key goal for many businesses, as the democratization of AI ultimately enables individuals to leverage it.

Furthermore, allowing AI to collaborate with human labor instead of replacing it may encourage the business environment to further embrace technology.

With this in mind, Unilever will work with "Be My Eyes" and Zappar to gather user feedback for optimal technology optimization. The company's ambition is to continue collaborating with accessibility assistance experts and apps to support the wider integration of AQR technology across different products, categories, and countries. Additionally, they hope to collaborate with other companies using this technology to share best practices.

Rachana Dongre, Unilever's Senior Digital Engagement and Strategy Lead (Nutrition and Ice Cream Business Group), said, "We have accelerated the digitization of our packaging to provide new opportunities for brand engagement and enhanced shopping experiences, and now we are focused on leveraging digital experiences to make our products more accessible.

"Zappar's AQR codes mean that we can provide equal access to information for blind and visually impaired shoppers, and integrating 'Be My Eyes' into these codes offers a whole new way for our products to be inclusive throughout the shopping journey, from the aisle to cooking at home."