About: Cooperative AI

Christian Spaan 28.10.2026 AI

For many, AI has become an irrational bogeyman. Yet certain AI applications have the potential to improve people’s lives.

As a sighted person, I cannot really imagine what it is like not to be able to see. Being blind must be a truly daunting limitation. In the past, there have been initiatives such as https://www.bemyeyes.com/. These were important and worthwhile. But independence and autonomy are even better. With this in mind, we would like to make a case here for assistive AI, which can bring about a real improvement in the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Meet Smart Glasses

AI glasses help blind people in their daily lives; a ban would hit them hard. These visual aids recognise colours, describe the surroundings and call friends.

Greta Friedrich of Heise writes about smart glasses (gift items) and how they open up a whole new world of possibilities for blind people.

For some, smart glasses are a nifty lifestyle gadget; for others, they are an aid that can change lives: people with visual impairments or blindness benefit from the features of AI glasses. A ban, as called for by regulatory authorities and civil rights organisations, would be a step backwards for them, as one affected person and the legal adviser to the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e.V.) explain to c’t.

And furthermore:

For some, smart glasses are a nifty lifestyle gadget; for others, they are an aid that can change lives: people with visual impairments or blindness benefit from the features of AI glasses. A ban, as called for by regulatory authorities and civil rights organisations, would be a step backwards for them, as one affected person and the legal adviser to the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e.V.) explain to c’t.

AI makes free

Yes, that’s right. Thanks to their AI glasses, a blind person can receive an objective and fairly accurate description of what the built-in camera sees: this is important not only for everyday life, but also emotionally. Just imagine you’d never seen a mirror before: the AI can literally describe to you what you actually look like – and do so completely objectively.

Tech vs Receipt

In fact, smart glasses are not only better, but also 10 times cheaper and more stylish than the OrCam – a recognised medical aid. The latter is ridiculously expensive and has to be clamped onto your glasses – it’s hideous and pricey, and on top of that gives off that unwanted ‘I’m disabled’ vibe.
Smart glasses, on the other hand, look like ordinary sunglasses and give no cause for discrimination.

Bottom line

Smart AI applications designed for assistive purposes should give general critics of AI food for thought. After all, these represent not only technological progress, but also a very tangible benefit for humanity.