Donald Clark has published on the number of people who use AI as assistance technology.
Many and many times, a person with dyslexia, or with a son or a daughter with dyslexia, came to see me to discuss how the AI had helped them. They describe the problems they had in an education system obsessed with the text. Honestly, I can't tell you how often I had these conversations. –Plan B: 2025-08-15
Donald continues to cite several types of assistance technology.
- Text-Discours and text text tools
- Grammar and spelling assistants
- Understanding tools
- AI in taking notes
- Visual and multisensory tools
- Translation
- Chatbot assistants
- Personalized tutors fed by AI
- Accessibility characteristics of AI in devices
For the most part, this is what would have been called performance support tools 20 years ago. These tools are similar to the advent of computer spreadsheet programs such as Visicalc, Lotus 123 or MS Excel. Although powerful, useful and omnipresent, they have not created a new industry from a dollars Billion. The generative AI is in a similar situation. The tools are useful but the billions of Genai investment will be recovered or will there be A brutal alarm clock?
I am happy to see this type of AI used as assistance technology, especially by helping marginalized communities. I am also a little more optimistic than this technology will be mainly on our devices and will not use massive energy data centers.
At Learnopoly, Finn has championed a mission to deliver unbiased, in-depth reviews of online courses that empower learners to make well-informed decisions. With over a decade of experience in financial services, he has honed his expertise in strategic partnerships and business development, cultivating both a sharp analytical perspective and a collaborative spirit. A lifelong learner, Finn’s commitment to creating a trusted guide for online education was ignited by a frustrating encounter with biased course reviews.