&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Google DeepMind unveils AI that can understand sign language")
Google DeepMind has unveiled a new AI system that could change how Deaf and hard-of-hearing people interact with their phones. SL2T, short for sign-language-to-text, can convert sign language into text and is coming first to Pixel 11. The model will power new features in Gboard and Live Transcribe, allowing users to sign in places where they would normally type. Google says the first supported language pair will be American Sign Language (ASL) to English, with more languages and devices planned.
The announcement is significant because Google is moving sign-language AI beyond a research demonstration and into a consumer product. Google DeepMind describes SL2T as a breakthrough model designed specifically for Deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
How Google's sign-language AI works
SL2T is designed to understand more than individual hand gestures. Sign language also relies on movement, facial expressions and other parts of the body, making it much harder for AI to interpret than a simple gesture-recognition system. The model can turn signing into text that users can then use for everyday tasks. That includes searching the web, writing messages or documents, and interacting with Gemini. In Live Transcribe, users can also sign responses during conversations rather than repeatedly typing them out. Google says the system was developed with input from members of the Deaf community, helping the technology address real-world signing rather than relying only on laboratory demonstrations.
Designed for real-world signing
One challenge is that people do not always sign in perfect conditions. A user may be holding a phone, change their position or sign with one hand.
Google's model has been designed to handle such situations, according to details shared around the launch. It also considers facial and body movements that carry meaning in sign language. The system's approach is particularly important because sign languages are full languages, not simply hand gestures translated word-for-word into English.
Pixel 11 is only the beginning
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SL2T will initially support ASL-to-English on Pixel 11, but Google says the technology will expand to additional devices and languages.
That could eventually make sign-language input a more common part of Android, rather than a specialist accessibility feature. Google's broader AI strategy is increasingly focused on making models interact with the physical world and different forms of human communication. Its Gemini family already supports multimodal inputs such as text, images, video and audio. With SL2T, Google is adding another form of communication to that list giving users a way to communicate with a phone through sign language rather than speech or typing.
