Deaf Voices Matter in AI Development 🧏‍♀️🤖Last week, I shared: “Deaf Voices Matter in AI Development” — and it’s now received over 5,000 reactions in just one week.

That shows how deeply this message resonates. 💬

Recently, members of the Deaf community, including native BSL users, gave feedback to a company developing sign language AI tools. We highlighted serious concerns, like when the AI signed “eggs,” but it was understood as “Easter eggs.” A small change in sign, but a big change in meaning.

Sadly, some Deaf community comments were hidden or blocked.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about attacking any company. It’s about addressing what’s going wrong:

⚠️ Multiple project rebrands are causing confusion and a lack of accountability

⚠️ Public ethics webinars but limited transparency in real-world decisions

⚠️ Posts ignoring or misrepresenting valid concerns

⚠️ Feedback treated as confrontation instead of collaboration

We shared that their sign language design was inaccurate. That’s not personal, that’s professional.

We also saw materials released with ongoing issues in audio, text, and sign. These aren’t minor details - accuracy and accessibility must come first, not last.

🧩 One suggestion: use clear icon labels on videos to indicate:

• “Live”

• “Not AI”

• “AI-generated”

  
  

These would help users understand who is signing and how the content was created.

All AI sign language outputs should be independently reviewed for accuracy, context, and cultural relevance.

We believe:

✅ Mistakes are part of learning

✅ Feedback from native signers is a resource, not a threat

✅ Trust is built on transparency, respect, and collaboration

British Sign Language is not visual English. It has its own grammar, structure, and culture.

AI has the potential to support this, but only if Deaf communities are included and respected from the start.

To everyone working on sign language AI:

This is a shared opportunity to create something meaningful.

Let’s keep the conversation open, honest, and inclusive. 🤝

#DeafVoicesMatter #SignLanguageAI #BSL #DeafInclusion #EthicalAI #AccessibilityMatters #InclusionInTech #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #AIandInclusion #DigitalAccessibility #AITransparency #DeafCommunity #HumanCentredAI #DeafAwareness #BSLMatters #InclusiveDesign #AIforGood #SignLanguageRights #AccessibleAI #DeafLedInnovation