Artificial Intelligence (AI) and dyslexia are a ‘powerful combination’, says Sir Richard Branson as part of a campaign to promote the potential of people with dyslexia in the workplace.
The 72-year-old businessman joined forces with global charity Made By Dyslexia to launch DyslexAI. The campaign calls on companies to commit to providing free workplace training so that their dyslexic employees can unlock their potential.
Sir Richard told PA News Agency that he believed AI would be “particularly useful” for people with dyslexia.
“I think it’s especially helpful for people with dyslexia and ADHD,” he said.
“It’s a powerful combination. AI is the perfect co-pilot for people with dyslexia.”
As part of the campaign, Made By Dyslexia and Sir Richard’s company Virgin released a video asking AI to think like the famous dyslexic thinker.
They argue that while the video is impressive, it shows that AI cannot replicate the insights and innovations of people with dyslexia.
Instead, they believe AI can be combined with dyslexic thinking.
Last year, Sir Richard and Made By Dyslexia worked with LinkedIn to recognize dyslexic thinking as a valuable skill.
Made By Dyslexia founder Kate Griggs said “thousands” of people have signed up to have dyslexic thinking as a skill on their LinkedIn profiles.
“We launched Thinking Dyslexic as a skill a year ago on LinkedIn, and thousands of people have signed up,” she said.
“By exposing dyslexia on a platform where everyone celebrates their skills is the greatest way to help the world understand dyslexia as a skill.”
Sir Richard, who added the skill to his LinkedIn profile, said it was a “great idea”.
“I’ve met a lot of dyslexic kids over the years, and now when I see them they’re not depressed about it, they’re proud of it.” , sees it as a superpower,” he said.
“They have to struggle to master math, reading and absolute basics in school.
“But once they get past that, they can tap into their super power of creativity and the fact that they excel at other things to truly thrive in life.”
Sir Richard said he struggled in school because of his dyslexia, but believed it made his career.
“Well, I think it really made my career,” he said.
“If I went back to when I was 15, my brain wasn’t wired to conventionally learn things I wasn’t interested in, so I couldn’t do basic school things. .
“So I quit school and started a magazine to speak out against the Vietnam War, against the way we were taught in school, to try and fix the world. It’s pretty weird for a dyslexic. .”
He said he wouldn’t have left school to start his first business if he weren’t dyslexic.
“First of all, if I wasn’t dyslexic, I wouldn’t have quit school to do it,” he said.
“Second, I was dyslexic. I needed to be a very good delegator, surround myself with good people, and be a good listener.”
He said his dyslexia allowed him to “see the big picture.”
“I wanted to aim at the sky and shoot because I could see the big picture,” he said.
“From starting a magazine to starting a record company to globalizing the brand, the aviation industry back then was pretty awful to start an airline with. Maybe people who were not dyslexic thought differently .”
Free Made By Dyslexia training will be available on LinkedIn Learning later this year.
