Employees responsible for employee safety and in-person and remote workplace facilities might implement AI navigation tools to help employees with disabilities navigate physical spaces. Such AI navigation tools can help employees understand their location and immediate surroundings while navigating safely using features such as computer vision and audio sensing. For instance, AI navigation tools can help employees find locations and points of interest, plan routes and safely navigate in both indoor and outdoor settings, including emergency evacuation. These tools can also help employees understand and adjust to a physical space, by identifying hazards, location services/amenities, traffic, people and crowds (important for social distancing, safety, and cognitive overload), etc.
Organizations should consider Equitable AI Principles when procuring and implementing AI navigation tools. Questions to ask include:
- Does the tool take into account the fixed and fluid data user needs that employees with disabilities have? For example, an employee with a physical disability may require routing information directing them to working elevators, ramps, and other physical accessibility attributes of surroundings. Another employee who has low vision may need audio-based guidance and features to visually identify the features and people in their surroundings.
- Does the AI navigation tool provide on-demand support and remote assistance, respecting data privacy, from live human agents?
