IVèS, Sopra Steria and IBM join forces to develop the world's first conversational assistant in sign language

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Sopra Steria has joined forces with IVèS, a European leader in accessibility for the deaf, and IBM, a global leader in hybrid cloud and AI, to announce the development and launch of the first conversational assistant for the deaf and hard of hearing. The world's first ‘Signbot’, called IRIS, combines the power of AI solutions from all three technology companies to enable digital communication in sign language.

IVèS develops IRIS, the world's first conversational assistant in sign language, using Sopra Steria's Alive Intelligence (SSAI) solution. This solution integrates the innovative technology of the IBM Watson Assistant. This innovation enables conversations in French Sign Language (LSF), Quebec Sign Language (LSQ), American Sign Language (ASL) and Tunisian Sign Language (LST), and can communicate and converse in real-time through signs.

Artificial conversational intelligence IRIS represents a significant advance in the field of inclusion and accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing. IRIS can be deployed on different screens, such as larger fixed screens, mobiles, tablets, or even a web browser, and it enables seamless exchange by converting speech into characters in real-time. This innovation offers a concrete solution to break down communication barriers related to deafness.

We are very proud to have contributed to the development of the IRIS Signbot, which is a perfect example of how technology can be used for a more inclusive and accessible world. Pascal Dupuy, CEO of IVèS, Mohammed Sijelmassi, CTO of Sopra Steria, and Xavier Vasques, VP & CTO of IBM France.

Leverage the best of AI for integration

Sopra Steria's Alive Intelligence solution provides personalised and efficient digital assistant services to automate tasks, access expertise and improve human-machine interaction through the IBM Watson Assistant technology. The solution is already efficient and is used by many customers and in many different contexts. This solution has been enhanced with the sign language interpreting capabilities of the IRIS Signbot.

IBM's Watson Assistant technology is a powerful conversational agent that enables all conversational AI capabilities, such as intent detection and entity extraction, implemented for Sopra Steria's Alive Intelligence solution and IRIS Signbot.

An upcoming version of Alive Intelligence, called nAIxus, which implements watsonx's generative AI, will further expand the functionalities and performance of Alive Intelligence and the IRIS Signbot.

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