VivaTech 2024: Accessibility, Climate Tech and AI in Healthcare

Big Idea

AI took centre stage once again at the ever-growing Parisian start-up and tech summit VivaTech with ground-breaking advances in climate, health and inclusive technology solutions.

As reflected by Viva Technology and Wavestone’s first barometer, 88% of business leaders surveyed in France, Germany, the UK and the US intend to invest in AI in 2024. It’s no wonder that artificial intelligence was the main character at the summit. Visitors could walk through a dedicated AI Avenue featuring innovations from over 20 start-ups. The early days of euphoria (and AI anxiety) regarding generative AI matured into tangible solutions designed for a better world where everyone accesses a supercharged lifestyle.

Notable exhibits included AI-powered prosthetics by Esper Bionics, precision mobility aids for the visually impaired by Biped Pro, and German Bionic’s Smart Safety Vest for worker safety. The event also highlighted AI’s role in various industries, from healthcare diagnostics by Primaa to agricultural water management by Seabex. With growing concerns about AI’s societal impact, many talks revolved around tech’s effects on security, democracy and ethics. Inclusion was a prominent theme, particularly with regard to gender. Several awards highlighted women’s achievements and 40% of the speakers were women.

Read the full article on LS:N Global.

‘88% of business leaders surveyed in France, Germany, the UK, and the US intend to invest in AI this year’

Source: Viva Technology & Wavestone

Published by:

23 July 2024

Author: Manèle El Zoghlami

Image: VivaTech 2024, Paris, France

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Henning Larsen has created a new design framework, utilising data calculations derived from its Urban Decarb tool, to shape future development of Refshaleøen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Human-centric AI and accessibility

In a session unveiling consumer electronics brand Honor’s latest innovations, CEO George Zhao addressed a rising concern about AI capabilities: ‘AI is transforming our daily lives, and we must learn to coexist with it. As AI grows smarter, it’s crucial to protect the things we love and our privacy.’ Addressing these worries, he introduced Honor’s human-centric AI innovations integrated across devices and platforms, including its Four-Layer AI Architecture and MagicOS 8.0, which enhance personalisation and privacy. These advances integrating Google AI are designed to make artificial intelligence more accessible and intuitive while protecting user data.

L’Oréal also confirmed its commitment to using tech for more accessibility. Paralympian athletes Veronica Yoko Plebani and Oksana Masters are the stars of the latest Lancôme Hapta campaign ahead of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024. Hapta, created in partnership with Alphabet, is a hand-held, computerised AI-motion learning make-up applicator designed to assist those with hand and wrist mobility issues initially presented at CES 2023. L’Oréal has already donated 300 devices to the disabled community and aims to launch a beta version in August 2024 before a worldwide debut in 2025.

Hans Jørgen Wiberg, CEO of the free visual assistant app Be My Eyes, was also one of the event’s highlights. After hearing about a blind young man who FaceTimes his loved ones to ask them to read or see things for him, Wiberg launched a specific service for it and grew a community of over 6m volunteers. OpenAI is now stepping in through a partnership to cater for users who don’t feel comfortable asking a human volunteer to be their eyes and would instead ask AI. ‘This is exactly what AI is made for – to be used for something good and important for a large group of people,’ said Wiberg. ‘Blind customers have told us: ‘This is what we always wanted, a pair of eyes in our pocket to use at any time’.’

What’s next for climate tech

Attendees were given a glimpse into how the latest innovations in sustainable construction, green mobility solutions and renewable energy will be used to combat climate change and create a more sustainable future.

Architect Signe Kongebro from the Danish studio Henning Larsen explained the importance of low-carbon building technologies and energy-efficient design practices, emphasising the use of advanced techniques to help reduce the 40% of global emissions stemming from the building sector (source: UN Environment Programme). That’s why the studio created Urban Decarb, a tool for evaluating and reducing urban carbon emissions.

‘Some people can’t use their voice to control a phone; their gaze, in this case, would be a powerful way to do it. The more modalities we can engage in an AI system, the more different kinds of people we can help’

Justine Cassell, dean’s professor of language technologies, Carnegie Mellon University