From the Support to Specific Limitations of Ability to the Facilitation of an Autonomous Life in the Smart World

Traditionally, the problem of the relationship between humans and ICT technology has been approached with the assistive technology approach. That is, a person cannot access a system (a computer) and it is necessary to develop an adaptation for the person's problems (e.g., how to get a blind person to access the screen). In this example, the problem led to the development of voice synthesizers and screen readers, able to give access to the screen if the person is not able to see it. Now the situation has unquestionably changed toward greater complexity due to the development of the technology leading to the smart environment concept and the change of the general approach to the integration of people in the society. The work analyzes the problems related to this evolution, with reference to the possibility of developing an environment suitable and/or adaptable to most inhabitants. The conclusion is that due to the complexity of the problem, it is necessary to facilitate its solution by the use of Artificial Intelligence in collecting, organizing and using all information needed for supporting all people.