Not going to lie, having a fellow blind person post undescribed images is a level of irony sighted people have yet to experience. Over on mainstream social media, I see all my blind people posting non-described images on their Facebook pages, and then when I tell them their images are not described, they just tell me to use AI. I have half a mind to make a PSA on why nobody should listen to mainstream blind people about accessibility, because this is just sad and honestly pathetically embarrassing.
To put the icing on top of the cake, I got the below text in my inbox on Messenger.
“I hope you’re happy about your accessibility campaign on my post. It's not my fault you don't use AI to describe images. You should know you are the only blind person on my friends list. Blind people don't follow me, only sighted people. Sighted people don't use screen readers, in case you forgot, but I guess you can't help yourself. You had to be the blindness advocate without understanding my situation or audience, right?”
Diane
in reply to Robert Kingett • • •Sensitive content
Well over here in the cranky old tech folks home we like our handcrafted alt text.
It's both good for the people who have poor to no vision, bad network connections, and sometimes even understanding the purpose of the image.
Also there's some interesting work on getting AI to misclassify things.
A really simple example is if you put the wrong text label on something in a photo the AI will usually read the label and not thing thing.
And then there's some work on Adversarial AI that generates carefully selected noise to an image in a way that completely changes what the AI recognizes the image as, even though humans can't see a difference.
Here's a an example write up.
And as an example an image with that looks like a curly coated retriever (dog) gets classified as a microwave oven.
medium.com/sciforce/adversaria…
Adversarial Attacks Explained (And How to Defend ML Models Against Them)
SciforceStingray's Badger Friend
in reply to Diane • • •Sensitive content
@alienghic
Thanks for sharing.
Since being on the fediverse, I've learnt so much about the value of alt text, for visually impaired people and many others. I don't think there's enough education in general about the benefits of use.
I agree with other posts, that AI is not reliable enough to trust.
1/2
Stingray's Badger Friend
in reply to Stingray's Badger Friend • • •Sensitive content
@alienghic
Its also sad to see how ableist society is right now.
Your example is like a business who have a steps only entrance, saying they never get any customers in wheelchairs, so why should they make an accessible entrance.
The person you quote has perhaps never thought or doesn't want to think how it might feel for others who are visually impaired, and shows them to be very selfish.
Robert Kingett
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The Drop Bear 2.0
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❄️Faerie❄️
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Robert Kingett
in reply to ❄️Faerie❄️ • • •bjb
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No wonder that no-alt-text guy (blind or not) has no blind readers, if they don't write alt text.
Anyway, I am sighted, and I read alt text, and I can confirm that AI often gets details (sometimes even the whole gist of) the description wrong.
Two recent examples:
"Picture of an otter" it was a picture of two otters
"Person holding a sword" it was a person next to a statue that did not resemble a sword.
Daburu Dar
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Devin Prater
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Robert Kingett
in reply to Devin Prater • • •Ronnie
in reply to Robert Kingett • • •I'm a sighted person and don't use a screen reader, but I almost always read alt text because it helps give me context I'd otherwise miss.
To me including alt text on images and videos is just basic courtesy.
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patricus
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The Yangsi Michael Dillon (@anantagd@ieji.de)
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