Google has updated Lookout with Q&A-type functionality for understanding alt-text.
In marking this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Google this week published a blog post in which they profile five products and features the company says “makes the digital world more accessible.” The post, penned by user experience researcher Jerry Robinson, is intended to showcase technologies that make everyday life easier.
“May 18 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which is a moment for everyone to talk, think, and learn about digital access and inclusion,” Robinson wrote in the lede to Google’s announcement. “With over one billion people with disabilities in the world, this work extends beyond a single day—especially for teams at Google that work to make the world a more accessible place. Here’s a look at new and recently launched features that are made with and for people with disabilities.”
Among the standout features mentioned in the post is a mention of—what else?—how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world. For Google’s part, the company shared details on a recent update to its Lookout software, introduced in 2019, that uses AI to process alt-text for images, also allowing users to have a Q&A-type session with the system about said imagery. The feature, developed by Google DeepMind and in beta now, was worked on in close collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People after “months” of internal testing inside Google.
Other new functionality spotlighted in the post includes easily identifiable wheelchair-accessible places in Google Maps. Previously an opt-in feature, Google says users can “know before you go” about wheelchair-friendly locales; the company boasts Maps has such information for more than 40 million businesses worldwide. Users can also fill in the gaps for missing businesses on both Android and iOS. Elsewhere, another AI-powered feature in Live Captions, is seeing expanded availability. According to Google, the company will roll out updates “this summer” which include a new captions box on Android tablets, wider availability for Live Captions for Calls, and localization support for French, Italian, and German on the Pixel 4 and 5, as well as additional support for Android devices like select Samsung Galaxy phones. For WearOS, Google says users will get new sound and display modes for easier customization, as previewed during its Google I/O developer conference earlier in the month. In addition, WearOS 4 will be receiving a faster and more reliable text-to-speech engine sometime “later this year.” Lastly, the mega-popular Chrome browser is getting accessibility updates by way of typo auto-detect in the URL bar, useful for people with dyslexia and other conditions, as well as enhancements for the TalkBack screen reader that makes navigating tabs easier.
More information on Google accessibility is available online.
