These Autistic Individuals Struggled to Understand Others. AI Changed Everything.

SAN FRANCISCO – Theron Pierce has never managed to keep a job for long enough to receive a promotion and finds it challenging to build connections with colleagues at his workplace. After ten months of working as a cellist instructor at an after-school program in Canada, Pierce believed they were doing well in their role.

Next, a pink slip arrived.

Feeling embarrassed and wounded, 34-year-old Pierce, who lives with autism, expressed their confusion about being dismissed from their job. To gain clarity, they sought help from the Autistic Translator, an artificial intelligence tool designed to provide insights into complex social scenarios by inputting specific circumstances one wishes to comprehend.

Following their explanation, the translator received a reply from an AI presented in list format. This outlined how Pierce’s continuous queries and requests for input were perceived by management as indications of inadequacy.

"It was quite enlightening for me," Pierce stated. Getting input from an AI free of any human emotions or expressions made the data simpler to digest, according to Pierce.

More than Less than 2% of adults, amounting to more than 5 million individuals, have received a diagnosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are millions of individuals with autism in the United States who often find themselves perplexed by unstated norms and regulations. This misunderstanding frequently leads to bewildering or uncomfortable social exchanges.

AI tools such as the Autistic Translator and Goblin Tools assert to assist individuals similar to Pierce in navigating social scenarios more effectively. Certain autism researchers remain hopeful regarding the potential benefits of AI, suggesting it could serve as an excellent supplementary resource alongside traditional therapies. However, numerous experts and users concur that despite their utility, these AI instruments require significant improvements.

Tools like Autistic Translator are particularly beneficial for individuals with autism since they tend to process information through structured guidelines, according to Elizabeth Laugeson, a clinical professor and director at UCLA’s Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills. She collaborates with autistic individuals to enhance their social abilities and foster connections. Such resources enable tool-users to verify their understanding of interactions or occurrences.

However, Laugeson still approaches the use of AI with caution when it comes to more complex queries beyond simple yes-or-no questions. This is due to the fact that AI lacks an understanding of the social subtleties, context, or conversational patterns required to deliver precise and useful answers.

“If we have an overreliance on an AI to navigate the social situation then we might also be discouraging things like self-advocacy or personalized support … which we know are really critical for their growth and for independence,” Laugeson said.

Autistic Translator was built using advice from therapists, and the bot generates answers based on published scientific research and responses in online forums about autism. Its founder, Michael Daniel, who is autistic and has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), says its instant responses make the AI chatbot helpful and popular among users.

"I felt it significantly reduced the emotional impact of the situation and aided in processing these matters much more quickly than I typically would have," Daniel stated during an interview.

The 34-year-old created Autistic Translator from his home in Newcastle, Australia, after losing his job in August. Daniel, who also has a daughter with autism and a son with ADHD, said living in a home with different neurotypes made communicating hard. If he could use AI to communicate at work, he could use it to do the same at home, he thought. Daniel released the AI tool to the public via a Reddit post, garnering thousands of positive interactions overnight.

Using his background as a data analyst, Daniel built the translator using OpenAI’s ChatGPT models. Today, he says it has more than 3,000 downloads, and it costs $4 to $12 a month depending on the tier. Since then, Daniel made the service into an app called NeuroTranslator and expanded its translation capabilities to users with ADHD.

There are other tools that claim to help neurodiverse people. Bram De Buyser created Goblin Tools, a website that offers eight different AI chatbot tools geared for all neurotypes. Users can ask questions or put down their scrambled thoughts into different AI tools to mitigate tasks such as creating to-do lists, mapping out tasks, and weighing pros and cons. While Goblin Tools doesn’t translate social situations, tools like “The Formalizer” help users convey their thoughts in the way they want it to come across to avoid miscommunication.

AI tools have become especially favored by individuals with autism due to their consistent responsiveness, as mentioned in an interview by De Buyser. "Unlike humans, these technologies do not grow weary from providing answers, nor do they experience frustration or pass judgment on queries that a neurotypical person might view as odd or inappropriate," he explained.

Lawrence Fung, who is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, mentioned that the Autistic Translator could serve as an excellent resource for enhancing communication and expressing experiences within social contexts.

"I believe they can certainly gain insights from it," Fung stated.

Nevertheless, autistic individuals may not grasp the complete scenario entirely, and since the AI depends on the user's comprehension of the circumstances, this can lead to incorrect outcomes, as Fung pointed out.

For 22-year-old Eva Dale, grasping the complete context of various social scenarios can be difficult. The bakery employee from Connecticut frequently notices that individuals express one thing but actually intend something else. Interpreting others' meanings doesn't come naturally to Dale, who has autism and depends on straightforward explanations provided by her mother.

Once, Dale’s grandma repeatedly said that her dog had to go outside, which meant she wanted someone to walk it, but Dale took it literally and just let the dog outdoors. Subsequently, Dale’s mother clarified that his granny actually expected him to walk the dog.

“Often, people will say something such as 'the dog needs to go outside,' which actually carries a hidden meaning like ‘Would you mind taking the dog for a walk?,’” Dale explained. “They won’t explicitly state this and assume you’ll understand their unspoken request.”

Dale approached the encounter with skepticism and inputted it into the Autistic Translator. Much to her astonishment, she received the exact same reply as her mother had given her.

"I believe the program has some understanding of how the autistic mind generally functions. It's quite remarkable that it can comprehend such a broad spectrum of individuals," she stated.

Nevertheless, some users do not receive immediate responses. Following his discovery of the Autistic Translator on Reddit, Phillip Lee, a 28-year-old resident of California, experimented with this AI tool several times but eventually concluded that he would rather seek input from those nearby.

Interpreting tone, social signals, and other non-verbal communication has consistently posed challenges for Lee, who lives with autism and ADHD. Last year, he faced criticism from his graduate program committee due to his habit of telling jokes at unsuitable moments. Additionally, both his fellow students and professional contacts have noted that his direct manner and avoidance of eye contact can seem disrespectful. Feeling discouraged, Lee decided to delve deeper into understanding his neurological differences.

Inquiring with the translator about how others view his gestures enabled Lee to understand certain aspects better, such as when he questioned the AI, "Why do individuals become upset when I refrain from smiling?"

The translator replied, "Neurotypical individuals frequently depend on smiles as an unspoken sign of warmth, whereas this may not come naturally for those with autism."

It was understandable for Lee. When he delved into particular situations from his own experiences like "Why do I become so furious?" the answers became increasingly ambiguous and generic, often failing to produce any reply whatsoever due to the intricate nature of these queries.

Daniel mentions that users receive a disclaimer regarding the translator’s limitations, and individuals aren’t obligated to concur with all of the AI tool's statements. The Autistic Translator is designed to recognize and reroute inquiries related to sensitive subjects such as violence, drugs, and medical guidance, steering conversations back towards effective communication.

Lee is cautious about the AI's capability to understand the nuances of his personal circumstances, so he now values direct feedback from his colleagues and family members instead.

It provides information but isn’t comprehensive enough to serve as a one-size-fits-all solution," Lee commented about the AI tool. "There’s no roadmap or flowchart since the autistic experience is highly personalized and demands considerable time and patience.

Regarding Pierce, the translator recently assisted them in handling a complicated relational issue. Going through the comments made Pierce feel more assured about understanding the scenario properly and provided them with the courage to initiate a discussion with their acquaintance.

I seldom experience being fully ready for a discussion," Pierce mentioned. "However, the AI’s reply left me with a sense of validation and relief.