AI and Autism: A Spectrum of Opportunities and Risks Neurodivergent talents are in demand in the tech industry. AI is intended to help autistic people and at the same time presents risks that could affect everyone People have different perspectives on the world. Every brain is wired differently: from billions of nerve cells and their countless possible connections, an individual living neural network emerges in every person. This neural diversity makes human neurodiversity the norm. The term neurodivergence is used when perception, thinking, and information processing deviate from what is considered neurotypical – that is, “normal”. Perhaps it’s the colleague at the desk opposite, the woman from the bookstore, or the child in the neighborhood. Estimates suggest that about 15 to 20 percent of the population is neurodivergent – roughly one in seven to one in five people. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other forms of neurological diversity have long been part of our social everyday lives, even if neurodivergence often remains invisible. Simply put: Autism is a different operating system. Not better or worse, but different. The same world provides the data – but the information is processed, weighted, and linked differently. Autism, social norms, and the opportunity for different perspectives This can become a problem for the individual if social norms, standards, and expectations are predominantly aligned with neurotypical ways of perceiving, communicating, and behaving. But perhaps societal progress lies not only in tolerating differences but in recognizing their value: What deviates from “normality” is not necessarily a deficit. Thus, a different perspective can be the path to a solution, because someone who perceives and thinks through a problem with different attention may recognize things, patterns, connections, and solutions that others miss. Videos by heise Especially people who do not follow given thought patterns naturally can question assumptions