How Machine Learning is Creating New Opportunities for Content Accessibility

[Approximate Reading Time : 4 mins]

Website accessibility is a broad topic that includes many formats and technologies. While accessibility generally sparks discussion in marketing and advertising strategies, for authors and publishers the discussion is more focused on inclusiveness and availability of content for those with and without a disability. Fortunately, advances in machine learning have led to great strides in inclusivity for the differently abled.

Sign Language, Translation and Captioning

For those who are hard of hearing, web content accessibility should be focused on sign language, translation and captioning of video and digital content. This is why the developments in AI are so profound. There is now technology that can interpret voice and convert it into sign language, which can then be displayed within or alongside video content. Audio files can now be automatically translated into other languages or captioned in a similar way.

Image Recognition and Text to Speech

As website accessibility has progressed, computer engineers have been able to make great strides for the inclusion of blind people. There are now machine learning programs that can recognize and describe images in an audial form. In addition, one of the foundational accessibility elements, text-to-speech, has improved over the last decade of its use.

Automatic Summarization and Abstracts

Now, engineers of AI are working toward advancements for those with learning disabilities who struggle to distill information quickly. AI services are being developed that will help to automatically summarize articles and reports into abstracts of easily digestible information.

While many of these tools are currently in use, some are still being tweaked and created. All businesses and authors should be taking note and stay aware of the significant impact machine learning has on their future content and creations.

Some advancements in website accessibility will have to wait to be adapted into your content, but many accessibility tools already available — sign language, translation, image recognition, captioning, text-to-speech — offer a significant advantage to authors and businesses ready to use them. Contact an Amnet representative and find out how your content can become more inclusive today.

Sources:
https://www.abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/5-ways-ai-could-transform-digital-accessibility
https://amnet-systems.com/amnet-techenabled-services/accessibility/