Accessibility and inclusivity was the order of the day at the 2023 Go:Tech Awards. Seeing Speechmatics and Carescribe go home as winners for their equitable innovations. Stick around to hear about how Speechmatics are using AI to reduce bias in speech recognition and Carescribe are breaking down barriers for the disabled.
Carescribe Using Tech To Create Independence
Carescribe won the ‘Most Innovative Use of Software or Cloud Technology’ award for its work with assistive technology to change lives. The company was launched in 2020 by 3 neurodivergent founders and “levels the playing field for people with disabilities and enables users to be more independent in their studies and at work”. They’ve seen 100% year-on-year growth.
Managing Director Chris Purcell spoke to Go:Tech Awards about the shocking fact that only 54% of disabled people are employed. This, he says, is due to a vast number of roadblocks stopping people from fully participating in work and school.
He says…
“The raison d’etre for CareScribe is to remove the barriers facing people in full-time education and the workplace and to enable them to study and work independently.”
It’s so important that Carescribe is led by neurodivergent founders who understand how to make work and school accessible. Tech companies can use their powerful resources to strive for a more accessible, inclusive and positive future. Carescribe is testament to this.
Speechmatics’s AI Inclusivity
The speech recognition company Speechmatics, have created a host of brand new self-supervised speech algorithms, leading the sector as the first commercial engine of its kind. As the winner of the AI/Machine Learning category, Speechmatics caught the judges attention with its AI transcription service. They recently secured an investment of $62m.
Technology used by Speechmatics has been trained on 1.1 million hours of audio to properly represent all kinds of voices and minimise bias and errors, which are common in transcription services.
A spokesman for Speechmatics told Business Leader…
“Speechmatics’ self-supervised speech algorithms mean we no longer rely on ‘labelled’ data – all available data representing all voices ‘counts’. By using this type of machine learning we can help correct the discrepancies and inequalities found in speech technology. No longer will speech technology only ‘hear’ those voices most favoured in labelled datasets.”
The company stresses the importance of inclusivity in speech recognition engines and how they are working to reduce bias in this area. It’s great to see a company using this new technology to bring about positive change.
The Go:Tech Awards 2023 Winners…
- Speechmatics – AI/Machine Learning Award
- Calvium – Best Mobile Technology Award
- Octopus Energy – Best Use of Big Data
- AruVR – Best Use of VR/AR Award
- Loadsure – Fintech Business of the Year
- Limbs and Things – Healthtech Business of the Year
- Lloyd’s Lab – Incubator or Accelerator of the Year
- Enhanced – IT/Telecoms Support Award
- Carescribe, Most Innovative Use of Software or Cloud Technology
- Octopus Energy – Sustainable Tech Business Award
- TLT LLP – Tech Dealmaker of the Year
- Julian Thomas, Racelogic – Tech Entrepreneur of the Year
- Advanced Infrastructure – Tech Start-Up Business Award
Summary
This year’s Go:Tech Awards recognised the groundbreaking work of companies from all areas of the technology sector. Carescribe and Speechmatics were praised for creating a more equitable industry and society at large. Do you think tech can change the world?
