I gave our usual wedding photograph to O3 (I am blind what would a sighted person see when they look at this photograph):

“Thought for a few seconds
Here’s the scene as it might feel if you could glimpse it through loving eyes:
Two brides are sharing a tender kiss outdoors, bathed in the warm, golden light of late afternoon. On the left stands a woman with pale blond bhair gathered into a neat low ponytail. She wears a tailored navy or charcoal suit—crisp lapels, white shirt, slim black tie—so her look is elegantly androgynous yet unmistakably refined. A small white bloom is pinned near her lapel, echoing the floral touches in the scene.
Facing her is her partner, a woman with flowing, copper red hair. Her tresses fall in gentle waves over her shoulders, and a soft ivory veil cascades from a tiny cluster of baby’s breath blossoms tucked behind her ear. She wears a delicate lace wedding gown: the neckline is modestly low and framed with intricate floral lace that continues onto cap sleeves, giving her a romantic, almost ethereal presence. A pair of subtle, sparkling studs catches the light at her ears.
Their noses and foreheads nearly touch as they lean in; lips meet in a gentle, unhurried kiss full of devotion. You can almost sense their shared breath and the quiet joy in that moment. Sunlight filters through nearby trees, creating a dreamy bokeh of creamy greens and golds in the background. The light kisses the edges of their hair and the lace on the bride’s dress, setting them aglow and framing the moment in warmth.
No crowd is visible—just the two of them, making the kiss feel intimate and timeless, as if the world has paused to honour their union.”

Ai-written image descriptions have come a long way…

#AI #AIsoftheBlind #AltText #Blind #VibeAccess #MaxMode

Vibe Text gives blind people the split-second emotional context sighted folks take for granted. Build it live, build it ethical, and build it for connection.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #VibeAccess #VibeText

ChatGPT just freaked me out!

I was doing a job with it and it came back with this:

“🚧💻 Give me a few hours to draft it all—I'll ping you with the preview before we lock it in.
Welcome to Punk Accessibility 1.0. 😎“

I thought the fucking singularity/hard-rapture had happened while I was eating my dinner!

#AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #HardRapture #Singularity

I’m using a new kind of Assistive Technology this week. Guide is, as far as I know, the world’s first Assistive Intelligence – it sits along side JAWS and can answer questions about anything on your screen and take any actions you request with either the mouse or keyboard!

The future is here…glad I’m one of the few lucky enough to be living in it! $8 a month for an AI-powered support worker – turns out AI really can solve Accessibility!

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #AssistiveIntelligence #Blind #Guide #GuideInteraction

If, 40 years ago, you had handed me your Ray-Ban sunglasses and told me that all I had to say was “Hey Meta, Be My Eyes” and I’d be talking to someone else, on the other side of the world, who could see what I was holding up and could describe it to me – I’d have thought we were in an episode of “Tomorrows World.”

If you’d told me this 400 years ago, we’d have burnt you at the stake.

If, 40 years ago, you had gone on to tell me that if I said “Hey Meta, Look and tell me what this is,” an AI would tell me – I would have started going on about wanting to “play the game” and ‘thermonuclear war’ I was fifteen! 400 years ago, you’d already be well ablaze.

Now, in 2024, I would complain vociferously that they “won’t read an entire page of text.” Ow times have changed…sadly ‘thermonuclear war’ seems like it might be back on our minds.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #ComputerVision #Disability

For twenty years, I’ve navigated the internet without sight, always adapting but never fully equal. In the past 18 months, AI vision models have finally given me access to the visual web—spaces like Instagram, once unreachable, are now within my grasp. It feels like I’ve gained a new kind of parity, but I’m still at a gunfight holding a knife. Until these models take another leap in understanding visual context, true equality remains out of reach. Still, every step forward matters. I’m here, shaping the future of accessibility, one challenge at a time. Change is coming, and I’m ready.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #ComputerVision #Disability

🌟 The Power of Affordability in Assistive Tech 🌟

There’s a lot of excitement around the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. They’re stylish, functional, and, most of all, accessible to a lot of people in terms of price. It’s amazing to see how much of a difference affordability makes when it comes to assistive technology.

In contrast, I’ve also come across another product in my country—Envision Glasses. They’re designed specifically for blind and visually impaired people, with advanced features tailored for accessibility. However, they’re so expensive that I don’t know anyone who actually owns them, and I rarely see them discussed.

It’s a real reminder that no matter how incredible a piece of technology is, if it’s priced out of reach for most people, its impact will always be limited. Accessible tech isn’t just about functionality—it’s also about ensuring that as many people as possible can afford it.

What are your thoughts on the balance between price and innovation in assistive technology? Do you think affordability is as important as cutting-edge features? Let me know! 💭

#Accessibility #AI #AisoftheBlind #Blind #Meta #Ray-Ban #SmartGlasses

### AI Advances in Audio Description: A Changing Landscape for Accessibility

The world of artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly, bringing new possibilities for accessibility. As tools like GPT-4 continue to impress with their detailed image descriptions, other applications, such as Microsoft's Seeing AI, are beginning to tackle video content. Although Seeing AI's new video description feature has been met with mixed reviews since its release two weeks ago, experts and users alike are optimistic about the future.

Recent developments suggest that the pace of progress in this field is accelerating. Notably, Mistral AI's latest breakthrough, the Pixtral Large vision model, highlights the potential for transformative change. This advanced model boasts the ability to process up to 30 high-resolution images simultaneously, aligning with the frame rate of standard video (30 frames per second). This capability hints at the possibility of real-time analysis and description of video content—a game changer for accessibility.

In the next 18 months, many believe we could see significant strides toward AI-generated audio descriptions that are both accurate and contextually nuanced. The implications are vast: millions of visually impaired PEOPLE could gain access to media content on platforms like Netflix, even in the absence of traditional audio description.

However, experts caution that creating high-quality audio descriptions is not just about identifying objects and actions. A truly effective system must also interpret context, emotions, and narrative subtleties—skills that remain challenging for AI. While current technology may not yet match the depth and richness of human-created descriptions, the trajectory suggests a hybrid future where AI-generated descriptions supplement traditional methods.

The accessibility landscape is on the brink of another revolution, one driven by advancements in vision models and machine learning. If these tools achieve their promise, they could dramatically enhance the media experience for visually impaired users, making a world of content newly available and accessible.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #Disability #Mistral

🌟 *"When I Go There, I'll Go There With You"* 🌟

A boundless desert path, footprints guiding the way to a radiant horizon. It’s a journey of hope, connection, and transcendence—a visual ode to the unseen, felt through the soul.

✨ #AIsoftheBlind
🔗 Where the streets have no name, the heart leads the way.