So there’s a thing I’ve been wondering regarding Aira, which, for either new people or those with no short term memory, is the visual interpreter service that will basically provide a live human to give you a description of your camera feed. I’d have posted this to their social channels, and I still may, but the last thing I want is a flame war in my inbox.

In many posts on their tech/customer support group, I’ve seen Aira put forth as an “alternative to relying on sighted friends or family”, and I can understand that. If there are seven people on this planet that are against either enslaving your friends, family, spouse, etc. by making them your eyes on call, or giving your spouse, family, friends, etc. a ready-made identity by making them your eyes on call, those seven people are all me. No. Seriously. All seven of them. All me.

But what I don’t see a lot of posted to that group is how Aira can complement existing tools. And I’m curious if I’m just missing it, or why that’s not put across. As a potential customer (or someone that used to be a customer but hasn’t had a paid plan for months), and as someone who has already set up many backup systems over the past two decades, because I’m not a monster, I’d be interested to see, not so much “rather than” but “as well as” services such as this being put forth as a means of not relying on what I’ve heard referred to as “natural supports”, a value proposition for Aira for the guy (or the gal, or the nonbinary person, I’m not choosy) that has literally every other tool in their toolbox. What can Aira give me that Seeing AI, Envision AI, a GPS app (I have many), Bluetooth connected appliances with accessible applications, etc. don’t already provide, other than the occasional time I need to read a display or get the order of buttons on inaccessible appliances.