As over one billion people -- roughly 15 per cent of the world's population -- grapple with some form of disability, Microsoft has begun unblocking the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve assistive technologies in several ways, the company's India President Anant Maheshwari said on Monday.

Maheshwari, who had a life-altering learning experience in 2008 when he was afflicted with a severe case of labyrinthitis and vertigo, said nearly 200 million people experience significant difficulties in functioning globally.