Be My Eyes, a mobile app that connects blind and visually impaired people with sighted volunteers via video calls has launched a new digital visual assistant called the Be My Eyes, Virtual Volunteer. This new feature is powered by the latest language model from OpenAI, GPT-4, and provides remote assistance to blind and visually impaired users with tasks that do not require physical presence. The Virtual Volunteer feature offers a deeper level of understanding and conversational ability not yet seen in digital assistants. It enables users to send images for immediate visual assistance, providing transformative resources to improve navigation, independence, and everyday needs.
In addition to the option to connect to a sighted volunteer, the feature is designed to align with OpenAI’s principles on responsible AI. The tool was created in response to feedback from Be My Eyes users who expressed a need for assistance with tasks that do not require real-time interaction. Tasks that could be completed by a Virtual Volunteer include online shopping, reading labels, and identifying objects in photos.
The company plans to expand the beta testing group for the Virtual Volunteer feature and make it available to the blind and low-vision community. This feature is an expansion of Be My Eyes’ existing platform, which enables users to connect with sighted volunteers via a video call for real-time assistance with tasks.
Founder of Be My Eyes, Hans Jorgen Wiberg, said: “We have been listening to our users and we heard the need for a platform where we can help more people with more tasks. The Virtual Volunteer feature will help us connect users with volunteers for tasks that can be done on their own time.” Overall, this new feature has the potential to provide significant benefits to the blind and visually impaired community, enabling them to access assistance with tasks that would otherwise be challenging or impossible to complete independently.
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