Artificial Intelligence (AI) is entering its golden age - with innovations like chat-GPT, AI has surged ahead, overshadowing the once-hyped blockchain and metaverse technologies. New advancements in AI are empowering real people to solve their everyday problems more efficiently and with greater ease. At Axis Innovation, we take macro trends - such as Gen AI - and look for startups at the cutting edge of these innovations, solving challenges both for businesses and consumers. One example is the Danish startup Be My Eyes.
© Be My Eyes Be My Eyes: See the World Together A few years ago, a friend introduced me to Be My Eyes, a free mobile app which aimed to make the world more accessible for blind and low-vision individuals. The app connects them with sighted volunteers and companies worldwide through live video calls, assisting with daily tasks like product identification and navigating airports. AI-Powered Virtual Volunteer™ Presently, Be My Eyes boasts nearly 7 million volunteers worldwide, who selflessly aid blind individuals from various backgrounds in 180 languages, tackling their daily challenges. Interestingly, leveraging the powerful visual input capability of GPT-4, in March 2023, Be My Eyes completed development of a GPT-4 powered Virtual Volunteer, which existed within the Be My Eyes app. This Virtual Volunteer can quite incredibly generate equal levels of context and understanding as a human volunteer. The introduction of GPT-4 technology has been nothing short of revolutionary. For instance, when someone sends an image of their fridge's contents, the AI not only recognizes and names the items but also suggests recipes based on the ingredients. The possibilities for such technology seem limitless. “That’s game changing,” says Michael Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes. “Ultimately, whatever the user wants or needs, they can re-prompt the tool to get more information that is usable, beneficial and helpful, nearly instantly”. Corporate Partnerships In February 2018, Be My Eyes launched its first corporate partnership with Microsoft. This collaboration introduced the "Specialized Help" feature, enabling blind and low-vision users to connect with official company representatives for accessible and efficient customer support. Since then, Be My Eyes has expanded its offerings for corporations, including Be My Eyes for Work, Corporate Volunteering, Be My Eyes Experiences, and Be My Eyes Careers. In addition to this, Be My Eyes has announced a "Virtual Volunteer" program tailored for companies and corporations. The startup has already established partnerships with industry giants such as Sony, Procter & Gamble, and Hilton. Axis Tel Aviv Startup Conference 2024 We are excited to see how other startups and corporations will find new ways to harness the power of AI. At our next Axis Tel Aviv annual flagship conference, scheduled for February 2024, AI will have a dedicated session and panel, where selected Israeli startups will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative AI-based solutions to international investors and corporate VC's. Mark your calendars for February 27th next year and grab your Super Early-Bird ticket while the limited offer lasts.
Darina Khanina, Business Development Principal @Axis Innovation