Hogan Lovells advises on the initiative advancing inclusive AI for impaired speech

The initiative, highlighted in a new film series, “Don’t Leave Us Behind”, launched on World Day for Assistive Technology, showcases efforts in Ghana to develop automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies that can better understand non-standard speech. The programme has collected impaired speech data across multiple languages and is helping to build more inclusive, open-source AI models to improve accessibility and communication.

Working in collaboration with partners including the University of Ghana and with support from Google.org, the programme is tackling the lack of representation of diverse speech patterns in current AI systems, an issue that continues to exclude many users from voice-enabled technologies.

Hogan Lovells co-sponsored the initiative and is providing pro bono legal advice through its HL BaSE programme, supporting the development and scaling of this work.

Nicola Fulford, Partner Data Privacy, said:

“I have valued the opportunity to be part of this insightful initiative, with client Global Disability Innovation Hub and ULC’s CDIL which is a powerful example of what can be achieved when legal insight, technology, and local partnerships come together to address exclusion. By supporting the development of more inclusive AI, we can help ensure that communities who have traditionally been under‑represented are not left behind as these technologies evolve.”

We are also working collaboratively  with the ground-breaking pro bono inhouse counsel team led by Sarah Scemla-Oliver at Bank of America and supported by our market leading Social Impact Practice HL BaSE.

The film series highlights the human impact of these innovations, amplifying the voices of individuals who stand to benefit most from more inclusive AI solutions.

Read more here.