PM Modi Speech (India AI Impact Summit 2026): AI Sign Language (PIP) — Are We Ready?
- Tim Scannell
- 7 hours ago
- 1 min read
AI-generated sign-language interpretation is now appearing in public events. Accessibility is important — but so are clarity, linguistic accuracy, and accountability.
From what I observed in the PIP window, the signing still looks stiff and choppy, with unnatural transitions. The clarity and linguistic accuracy need significant refinement. Without proper validation by Deaf communities and qualified sign-language experts, there is a real risk of misleading the wider AI industry — in India and globally — about what “sign-language AI” can reliably deliver today.
This raises important questions:
If AI-generated signing is inaccurate, who is accountable?
Are Deaf leaders, sign-language teachers, and qualified interpreters involved in reviewing and improving these systems?
Should India introduce an Indian Sign Language Act (or similar policy) to define standards, rights, and compliance for sign-language access?
At the moment, sign-language AI appears to be moving faster than regulation, with no clear framework for quality assurance.
Following my LinkedIn post last Sunday — “Sign Language & AI | When the BSL handshape is blurred, the meaning is blurred” — which reached 8,100 impressions,
I believe we urgently need Deaf-led evaluation, transparent benchmarks, and independent audits before these systems are widely deployed.