Facebook AI Describes Photos to Blind Users
From: Robotocs Trends - 04/05/2016
By: Steve Crowe

Facebook's automatic alternative text uses artificial intelligence to
generate verbal descriptions of images for blind users.

Facebook just became a lot more accessible to the 39 million-plus people who
are blind and 246 million-plus people with severe visual impairments.
Facebook today introduced automatic alternative text, or automatic alt text,
an artificial intelligence (AI) application that generates a verbal
description of images on the site.

Now people using screen readers on iOS devices will hear a list of items a
photo may contain. For example, automatic alt text will now tell a Facebook
user that an image “may contain three people, smiling, outdoors.” Before
automatic alt text, Facebook users would only hear the name of the person who
shared the photo.

Read the entire article and view a video (1:16) at:
http://www.roboticstrends.com/article/facebook_ai_describes_photos_to_blind_users

Link:
Facebook Programs Computers to Describe Photos for the Blind
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/04/facebook-programs-computers-describe-photos-blind

Facebook Photos on iOS Now Accessible to Blind Users
http://www.eweek.com/mobile/facebook-photos-on-ios-now-accessible-to-blind-users.html

Related:
Twitter - Accessible images for everyone
https://blog.twitter.com/2016/accessible-images-for-everyone