Anwita Chaudhry builds AI app to help nonverbal students speak
The Northeastern student uses sentiment analysis to add emotion to text-to-speech, aiming to replace robotic communication tools.
By Talia Bennett ·
Anwita Chaudhry is developing a mobile application called ExpressAI to assist nonverbal students with more natural speech output.
The third-year computer science student at Northeastern University is using artificial intelligence to translate written text into spoken audio with varied emotion and inflection. This approach aims to improve upon current text-to-voice systems that often sound monotone. The app uses sentiment analysis, a process that analyzes text to detect positive or negative attributes. Chaudhry notes that companies like IBM use this technology to route customer service calls based on user tone. In her application, if a user types a message expressing love to a parent, the software reads it back with the appropriate context and tone.
Chaudhry launched her nonprofit, DesiHeart, in 2020 while she was a high school freshman. The organization supports neurodiverse students, including those on the autism spectrum or with other developmental conditions. It offers virtual drama workshops, summer programs, and coding classes to help participants improve speaking and motor skills. The name is a play on the phrase "the heart's desire." Chaudhry believes everyone should be able to express what is in their heart.
She initially enrolled at Northeastern as a biology major with plans to practice medicine. She switched to computer science after working with students via video conferencing. She observed that some communication devices were limiting. "It became clear that I needed to have a computer science degree to really develop something for them," she said.
Chaudhry is working as an undergraduate assistant in Northeastern University’s Technology Equity and Accessibility Lab. Under director Maitraye Das, she helps develop prototyping devices for children with cerebral visual impairment. This brain disorder prevents children from clearly seeing and interpreting images. Das noted that Chaudhry recruited families for the lab's technology evaluations. "She understands the challenges of this kind of community-centric work but still took on those challenges head on," Das said.
Chaudhry received first place in the AI & technology category for the Women Who Empower Initiative at Northeastern. This university-wide program celebrates women in the community. She also received federal funding to support the development of ExpressAI. The award has increased her credibility and is helping to fundraise for the app. "The award is helping us take ExpressAI from the design stage toward development and further our mission of making technology more accessible," Chaudhry said.
Das described Chaudhry as driven and initiative-focused. The professor also noted Chaudhry's ability to balance schoolwork and running her nonprofit. "She’s juggling multiple responsibilities, and she’s doing great," Das said.
