The HULAT research group (Human Language & Accessibility Technologies Group) from UC3M has been awarded two significant research projects within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical, and Innovation Research 2021-2023 by the State Research Agency. These projects, HumanAI and ZERO, focus on improving accessibility and quality of life for vulnerable groups through advancements in artificial intelligence and urban mobility.
HumanAI: Inclusion and Accessibility in Generative Artificial Intelligence
Coordinated by Paloma Martinez and Lourdes Moreno, HumanAI is part of the Knowledge Generation Projects call and aims to address accessibility challenges faced by people with cognitive disabilities when using generative AI tools. Developed in collaboration with the NIL group from UCM, this project seeks to bridge the digital divide and promote inclusion in emerging technologies. With a budget of €183,368.74, HumanAI aims to create a framework and methods for multimodal generative AI tools in Spanish, prioritizing accessibility, personalization, and clarity in understanding results.
The HumanAI-LANG subproject by the HULAT group, funded to support a doctoral thesis on "Human-in-the-loop in LLMs fine-tuning in the context of cognitive impairments," will explore fine-tuning techniques for large language models (LLMs) based on human feedback, tailored for people with cognitive disabilities. The project will also generate corpora in Spanish with guidelines for plain language and easy reading and will integrate alternative communication methods, such as pictograms, to make the results more accessible. Additionally, the project considers the environmental impact of model training, advocating a responsible and sustainable approach.
ZERO: Accessible, Inclusive, and Sustainable Urban Mobility
Coordinated by Lourdes Moreno and part of the Public-Private Collaboration Projects call, ZERO focuses on accessible urban mobility, especially for vulnerable groups. This project, funded with €452.716,00, proposes a multimodal transportation system that facilitates access through IoT technologies and biometric authentication, enhancing the user experience with accessible applications and simplifying payments and personalized fares. The ZERO ecosystem leverages AI for a flexible fare structure and cryptographic technologies to protect personal data, thereby promoting safe and adaptive mobility.
The UC3M-HULAT group will be responsible for ensuring accessibility and inclusion in the project, in collaboration with the Madrid Municipal Transport Company (EMT) and other specialized partners, including THE BASEMENT, UPM-TRANSyT, and UPM-STRAST. The project will be implemented in real-world scenarios, ensuring its practical feasibility and readiness for future commercialization. ZERO is an innovative initiative towards inclusive and sustainable mobility, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and responding to new inclusive mobility regulations.
Through these projects, HULAT reaffirms its commitment to accessibility and inclusion, developing technological solutions that positively impact the lives of vulnerable people, encouraging their full participation in society, and promoting technology that serves everyone.