Thirteen years ago, a brutal assault thrust my family into a world not designed for persons with disabilities (PWDs). A transformative moment for both us and a beloved family member forced us to look for affordable and accessible assistive technologies frantically. With the world rapidly beginning to design and harness artificial intelligence for all areas of our professional and personal lives, it is critical we look at how emerging technologies can empower persons with disabilities or risk them creating even more exclusion and marginalization.

The world is reaping a harvest of terrifying consequences from escalating conflict and the near breakdown of international law, said Amnesty International as it launched its annual The State of the World’s Human Rights report today, delivering an assessment of human rights in 155 countries.