Adding ALT text is a good habit to develop. I can’t say it has become second nature but I do try. And I have definitely found it to be a great use for ChatGPT.
Since ChatGPT got vision capability it’s a very simple thing to paste an image and ask for ALT text. It’s usually very good. Although I was shaken when it casually described me as middle aged in this image. I suppose it’s accurate now I’m 40 but it was brutal to see that text appear on the screen.
Yes, it is an important habit to develop and an important principle to prioritise. However, I think it should also be something where AI can solve a real life problem in a very practical way. It feels like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp et al should fold in this functionality and automatically add ALT text whenever you upload a new image.
Be the change you want to see
So with that thought in mind I was very aware that I recently published a series of blog posts consisting of 140 images of slides detailing how to build a data driven public sector, the majority of which did not include ALT text1.
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