Visualization Alt-Text Generation
Description
Charts, figures, and tables often lack descriptive alt-text, which is essential for accessibility and compliance with federal standards. Creating accurate alt-text manually is time-consuming and requires staff to interpret visual information and translate it into clear, concise narrative descriptions. The AI is intended to automate this process by analyzing visual elements and generating draft alt-text, reducing manual workload and improving consistency in accessibility documentation.
Detailed example
The AI will generate draft alt-text descriptions for charts, figures, and tables, summarizing key visual elements such as trends, comparisons, labels, and notable data points. Outputs may include short descriptive sentences or structured alt-text templates tailored to the type of visual. These drafts serve as a starting point for staff, who remain responsible for reviewing and finalizing the content to ensure accuracy and compliance.
AI / analytics pattern
Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
Automation level / stage
a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.
Expected benefit
The AI increases efficiency and ensures more consistent compliance with accessibility requirements, supporting the agency’s mission to provide inclusive and usable information to all stakeholders. Staff benefit from reduced time spent drafting alt-text, enabling them to focus on higher-value analytical and communication tasks. The general public—particularly individuals relying on assistive technologies—benefits from clearer, more accessible descriptions of charts and data visualizations.
Audit / financial statement impact
The chart- and figure-summarization tool only provides descriptive summaries of visual data for user convenience and does not generate outputs that drive legal, regulatory, or service-impacting decisions. Because humans fully interpret and apply the information, and the tool’s output does not affect rights, benefits, or access to government services, it does not qualify as a High-Impact AI use case.
Controls / human review
ATO: Not reported; PIA: Not published