# Deaf in AI: AI language technologies and the erosion of linguistic rights

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.02519 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.02519/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 5 May 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Cripping AI: Reimagining AI Through Lived Disability Experiences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.02080/) (2026)
- [Machine Translation for Sign Languages](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.00881/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper explores the interplay of AI language technologies, sign language interpreting, and linguistic access, highlighting the complex interdependencies shaping access frameworks and the tradeoffs these technologies bring. While AI tools promise innovation, they also perpetuate biases, reinforce technoableism, and deepen inequalities through systemic and design flaws. The historical and contemporary privileging of sign language interpreting as the dominant access model, and the broader inclusion ideologies it reflects, shape AIs development and deployment, often sidelining deaf languaging practices and introducing new forms of linguistic subordination to technology. Drawing on Deaf Studies, Sign Language Interpreting Studies, and crip technoscience, this paper critiques the framing of AI as a substitute for interpreters and examines its implications for access hierarchies. It calls for deaf-led approaches to foster AI systems that remain equitable, inclusive, and trustworthy, supporting rather than undermining linguistic autonomy and contributing to deaf aligned futures.