Ethical Implications of AI-Driven AAC Systems: Ensuring Inclusivity and Equity in Assistive Technologies

This study investigates the ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration into Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, and data privacy in assistive technologies. AI-driven AAC systems enhance communication for individuals with impairments by offering features like predictive text, speech recognition, and symbol-to-text translation. However, ethical challenges arise as these systems increasingly rely on sensitive user data, which could jeopardize privacy without strict safeguards. Furthermore, limitations in linguistic diversity within AI training data compromise inclusivity, potentially excluding users from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Accessibility also remains an issue, as AI-driven AAC systems are often financially inaccessible for marginalized communities, exacerbating social inequities. Through a comprehensive analysis of current systems, including Proloquo2Go, Tobii Dynavox and Google’s Project Euphonia, this paper evaluates both the advancements and ethical shortcomings in AI-driven AAC technologies. The findings advocate for privacy-preserving AI practices, culturally diverse training datasets, and affordable AAC solutions to foster a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable digital communication environment.