I think any service that allows you to publish an image should also have an ‘image to text’ AI running in parallel so every time you post an image the ‘alt text’ would be automatically added. People using the system will have the option to change their entries on a case by case basis. I wonder if MicroBl... john.philpin.com

@JohnPhilpin automatically? Personally, would make more sense to be prompted with then the option of using the auto-generated alt text. In this way, whatever model that’s implemented isn’t pushing its interpretation of your image forward. That extra step trains folks to add alt text themselves over time, and/or trains the model to be better about its suggestions.

@Avancee I’d go with that … personally aiming for removing friction. I am aware of alt text and still don’t always remember to use it. My assumption is that a lot of people don’t do it, even think of it … so default is typically nothing happens.

Change the default to AI completes the entry as default … as opposed to the current nothing.

Definitely for those that wish to edit and improve the entry … of course.

@Avancee yes - its seeing the @jean post a couple of days ago where she in turn referenced a way to think about the 'Alt Text' - that triggered this idea. I definitely do not do what was suggested in her thread. 🫤

Then - the idea that the world is currently throwing so much energy into 'Text To Image' AI - that even a fraction of the effort to 'Image To Text' AI would make the internet a better place for those that rely on 'Alt Text'.

@JohnPhilpin IMO alt text should be handwritten for many reasons: context (of the image itself, the website its on, the article it sits within, its caption etc.), meaning and tone will affect the description. IMO automating that process also indicates it’s a chore.

A service that says “you haven’t added alt text to that image” is useful

@leonp I quite enjoy adding a bit of personality and humour to my alt text now, try and make the images come alive a little. It’s an extension of the post, after all, and we all want our posts to be interesting.

@BenSouthwood Yes, exactly. The image might be trying to convey something beyond its plain contents, and a reader using a screenreader should get that too.

@leonp @BenSouthwood AI is going to drown the web in bland, samey, unoriginal, SEO-optimized garbage. Why not let it write our Alt text too?

@artkavanagh ha ha, yes, if the article itself was AI-generated might as well go the whole hog

@artkavanagh True enough.