The real power of AI is the impact it can have on lives. At Persistent, we collaborate and innovate to reimagine possibilities where AI can transform not just businesses but human lives, too.
At its heart, AI is about understanding commands and performing actions just like a human brain. For more than half a century, the AI trajectory has been about how computerized systems could mimic humans, evolving from ‘systems that do’ to ‘systems that learn’ to today’s ‘systems that think’,
If today’s AI can think, write, create, and understand language like a human brain, can it also help the human brain understand language better?
This is what we set out to explore with a team of AWS’ AI technologists. We worked to create an AI-driven solution to address a learning disability that affects how the human brain processes language: dyslexia. Every one in ten people in the world is dyslexic, struggling to read and interpret words, letters, and other symbols. This leads to academic challenges, a lack of confidence, depression, and reduced career opportunities – affecting not only the individual but families and communities.
Making Dyslexia Easier to Live With
The existing approaches to dyslexia fall short due to a lack of personalized, engaging, and adaptive learning methods that cater to individual needs. A cross-functional team of technologists, learning experts, and AI leaders brought different perspectives to alleviate the world’s most common learning disability. This collaboration allowed us to experiment, test concepts, and refine them before delivery.
We engaged with a learning expert to gain insights into real-world challenges faced by dyslexic children, such as difficulty with traditional phonics-based learning, lack of personalized teaching methods, and limited engaging resources. By understanding these gaps, we identified key needs—interactive, adaptive, and gamified learning experiences—that could be addressed with an intuitive and adaptive AI-driven approach.
Top Row (L – R) – Chetan Makvana, Vikram Shitole, Kedar Kutaskar, Indrajit Patil, Aditya Patil, Kartik Yanigar, Anoushka Pawar, Minsar Aga, Aniket Thorat, Shivam Gupta, Yashika Bajaj, Pankaj Kumar Yadav, Satyam Solanki, Khushboo Patil, Nixon Kurian, Rutuja Ghadle, Cladius Fernando, Nishanky Gyanchandani, Swati Prajapati, Chandrasekaran Sivaraman
Bottom Row (L – R) – Praful Dhone, Anurag Jain, Yash Chavan, Amruta Yemul, Anupam Mishra, Raja SP, Dr. Rahul Gaikwad
For this solution to be truly transformative, we realized AI has to be embedded at each development stage. We used a GenAI platform to brainstorm possible courses of action and better ideate a best-fit solution. We leveraged AI-led code generation and automation to accelerate the time from concept to prototype. Working in an agile and iterative mode, we ensured a production-grade prototype was ready within two days.
AI as the Bedrock
The result was a gamified learning-based website that teaches dyslexic kids how to read and pronounce words in a fun and engaging way. By leveraging AI, the website provides a fun learning experience that lets each child learn at his/her own pace. It makes reading enjoyable and accessible, improving literacy and overall well-being.
The development of this platform was a testament to the power of AI in software engineering. Within just 12 hours, our team was able to create a functional and effective tool that addresses a complex problem. We abandoned the traditional software development lifecycle and adopted an AI-driven lifecycle (AI-DLC) as a new way of approaching software engineering. We knew AI must be embedded, not embellished, since AI-assisted code completions can only go so far.
With a change in mindset, an AI-driven software engineering approach can bring massive productivity gains, allow higher scope for experimentation and open possibilities like never before with expansive collaboration.
Looking Ahead
Imagine what can be achieved with more time and resources. The impact of our dyslexia platform is just the beginning—measured not just by its functional delivery, but by its potential to improve learning outcomes and engagement for dyslexic children.
Looking ahead, the potential applications of this AI-driven approach are vast. From healthcare and education to finance and environmental sustainability, countless challenges can be addressed using similar methodologies. At Persistent, we remain committed to harnessing the power of AI and AWS services to solve problems, create opportunities, and build a better future for everyone.
As we continue to explore the possibilities of AI-driven solutions on the AWS platform, we’re excited about the potential to impact lives positively. The journey of reimagining living with dyslexia is just the beginning of what AI can achieve in transforming human experiences.
