A couple weeks ago, I flew some 800 miles north to Seattle to cover Lenovo’s Tech World 2024 conference. As you’d expect, the three-day event put artificial intelligence center stage; on its website, Lenovo boasts the tagline for Tech World is “smarter AI for all.” Company CEO Yuanqing Yang spent the keynote, which included cameos by Intel’s Pat Gelsinger and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, talking up the “AI for all” mantra by highlighting how AI can be used to better accessibility, noting the company’s software has helped ALS patients preserve their voice before the disease inevitably takes it from them forever. Likewise, Lenovo has used AI to create so-called “Alzheimer’s Intelligence” to help people who cope with the disease in remembering things more easily.
In what was only my third in-person interview since the pandemic, I sat down with Lenovo’s chief diversity officer in Ada Lopez one of the days whilst in the Pacific Northwest to discuss the company’s commitment to accessibility and how AI plays a role in facilitating it. Lopez, who leads Lenovo’s Global Product Diversity Office, explained the company considers so-called “smarter technology for all” a critically important concept because “we need to embed inclusive and accessible design into all of [our] products.” As products make their way through Lopez’s office, she said people make sure they’re compliant with industry standards such as the WCAG 2.2 guidelines. If they don’t, then the responsibility is to do “whatever we can” to ensure said standards are met. Accessibility, Lopez told me, is important to focus on because, if products are made for separate segments of a market, they’re prone to aging and sunsetting more quickly because the user base is narrowed.
By striving for inclusion, however, the drive is there to “keep improving and iterating” on products. Lopez pointed to the efforts in making the ThinkPad laptop more accessible to Blind and low vision students, telling me the company worked with the local school for the Blind to put tactile markings on the keyboard, specifically those which control the system’s screen reader. The development process was had hand-in-hand with Blind people, with Lopez saying the change has “stuck” and has been propagated to Lenovo’s keyboards in other products as well.
Lopez, a former school teacher, told me it’s “an incredible experience” leading the Product Diversity Office. Her years in the classroom saw her teach “many types of students with disabilities” and, as such, she’s a staunch believer in giving disabled people ample room to shine. Particularly in terms of employment, Lopez said technology can “empower” people with disabilities to things aimed at the betterment of their life, whether in employment or education or other areas. That sense of empathy, Lopez said, is “what makes our society better.”
“It makes me feel like I’m helping make the world a better place by working with my team to improve these technologies,” she said.
When asked about Lenovo’s views on AI and accessibility, Lopez cited the company’s video to open the keynote wherein it highlighted its work with the Scott Morgan Foundation to empower people in the disability community. For someone coping with ALS, she said AI could enable more accessible communication with loved ones. Lopez said it’s her hope Lenovo can “move in the direction” towards using technologies like voice commands or eye gaze in order to “help you communicate faster [and] to help you go through processes more efficiently and be able to work more efficiently.” The byproduct is profound, as Lopez acknowledged disabled people do have lower employment and income numbers; if AI helps the arrow move in the other direction, so much the better. “It will give [disabled people] the ability to earn a wage,” Lopez said. “It’ll also increase quality of life in many ways, as far as work and for recreation.”
Lopez turned back to Lenovo’s product development process, telling me the company it’s “really important to bring in individuals with lived experiences” to glean their insight whenever ideation strikes. Moreover, she explained the company has a Diversity By Design Review Board, an internal executive board that, she said, “[recommends] testing—that’s usually done both with individuals who live with whatever area of disability”—whenever an issue arises. Notably, Lopez said product testing is done both with able-bodied people as well as obviously people with disabilities. Customers often email Lenovo to ask if they can participate in the testing, Lopez said. According to Lopez, many people who impart feedback are disabled people and professionals in their fields; they articulate their needs to the company extremely well. Lopez emphasized, however, Lenovo does enlist what she characterized as “trusted third parties” who pay individuals for their participation in research. Lenovo, she added, is “very sensitive” about ensuring people are compensated for their time. A lot of people who email volunteer their services, but Lenovo wants to make sure they’re paid for their time.
“It’s quite nice there’s enthusiasm behind the work we do,” Lopez said.
As to the future, Lopez expressed optimism over disability awareness and inclusion making inroads slowly but steadily. A lot of the legislation and other regulatory action is “exciting” because they spur change and innovation. More accessibility will enable disabled people to “do things they’ve never done before” and influence design directions with their own lived experiences. Companies like Lenovo, Lopez told me, are better off building inclusively; seeing how its work impacts underserved communities makes Lenovo “feel good about” what they do every day.