Sullivan+, the AI-based visual aid service that recognizes objects, faces, colors, and letters, for the visually impaired is developed by the start-up “TUAT” and advanced with voice AI technology from SK Telecom. It has been helping the visually impaired to see the world with their smartphones already. However, the problem was more visual data was needed to advance the accuracy of Sullivan+. Because sometimes, due to the lack of visual data, the AI couldn’t recognize the objects accurately. For example, sometimes it recognized the tissue as the white purse. So our goal was to collect the visual data as much as we can and advance the AI of Sullivan+ so that it can help the visually impaired with better accuracy.

One picture can change the life of the visually impaired! We started the special barrier-free campaign named CODENAME: SULLIVAN+, encouraging people to share one daily photo with the hashtag #CodenameSullivan on their Instagram. After they shared their daily photos, we collected those images and use them to advance the AI of Sullivan+.

For example, AI can be developed by learning landscape images as well as images that are essential to the daily lives of the visually impaired(cups, shoes, etc.) so that they can better recognize the world and experience it indirectly.

We wanted to find a way to use data from non-blind people and we had to come up with an easy way for them to participate and collect as many pictures as possible. Then, one thing just popped into our heads. People share tons of pictures about their daily life on Instagram every day!

Therefore, we set our target audience as everyone who likes to share their pictures online to gather visual data and asked them to add just one hashtag when they post various categories of photo in their daily lives.

Also, we released a creative campaign video that shows how one photo can make a better world on SK Telecom’s Youtube channel which has 1.1 million subscribers.

We made a short film about the daily life of a visually impaired woman and special agents that personify Sullivan + to express Sullivan+’s AI function easier and showed how Sullivan+ can dramatically change the life of the visually impaired. about a special mission of the Sullivan+ agents, and showed how Sullivan+ can dramatically change the life of the visually impaired. The film launched with a social challenge asking people to share one daily photo with the hashtag #CodenameSulivan on Instagram. Instagram was chosen as the platform because it’s where people upload their pictures daily these days. Then, we invited 1.6 million fans through the social media channels of SK Telecom to participate. Celebrities, sports stars, and visually impaired Youtubers, voluntarily participated. With 14,134 collected photos, Sullivan+ has started to add 20 new categories to advance the accuracy.

Campaign Youtube video reached 4.32 million views. We gathered 14,134 photos with the hashtag #CodenameSullivan on Instagram.

People responded super positively to our campaign.

Some said, “This is a really thoughtful and cool campaign ever for the socially disadvantaged.” Some left comments like ”I hope there will be more services like Sullivan + and become a world where the socially disadvantaged live without difficulties.”

As a result, we collected various photos of clothes, colors, and traffic sign, which are essential in daily life.

With these photos, we added 20 new categories that Sullivan+ can recognize

for the accuracy of Sullivan+.