Facebook Tests Tech to Help Blind People Enjoy Photos

On Monday Facebook started using artificial intelligence to assist people with optical impairments relish pictures posted at the foremost social network.

Facebook Tests Tech to Help Blind People Enjoy Photos

Facebook revealed machine learning technology competent to identify things in photos and then explain pictures verbally.

“As Facebook becomes an increasingly visual experience, we hope our new automatic alternative text technology will help the blind community experience Facebook the same way others enjoy it.”

Informed accessibility expert Matt King.

The feature was being verified on mobile devices powered by Apple iOS software and which have screen readers set to English.

According to King, Facebook intended to extend the competency to devices with other types of operating systems and add more languages.

The technology operates across Facebook’s family of applications and is centered on a “neural network” imparted to distinguish objects in pictures using loads of examples.

“While this technology is still nascent, tapping its current capabilities to describe photos is a huge step toward providing our visually impaired community the same benefits and enjoyment that everyone else gets from photos.”

King said.

The Silicon Valley-based social network revealed that it was moving gradually with the feature to elude possibly invasive mistakes when it comes to automatically telling what is in pictures.

The Facebook technology made its first appearance less than a week after Microsoft lured software developers with a group of offerings that allow them tap into the power of cloud computing, big data, and machine learning.

The Cortana Intelligence Suite crowed the skill to permit applications witness, hear, say, comprehend and infer people’s needs.

A “Seeing AI” research project was in progress, revealed Microsoft, to demonstrate how those capacities could be intertwined into applications to facilitate people who are visually impaired or blind better acquire what is around them, say by perusing scenes via smartphone cameras or specifically equipped eyewear.