Human vs LLM-Generated Alt Text for STEM Image Accessibility: A Comparative Study
Abstract
Image descriptions are a fundamental aspect of web accessibility, allowing blind and low-vision users to access visual information through assistive technologies such as screen readers. Despite their importance, high-quality alternative text is often missing or inadequate, especially for complex images like diagrams, graphs, and other STEM-related content. Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) have renewed interest in automatically generating image descriptions, raising the question of whether these systems can reliably support accessibility at scale.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Text Readability and Simplification
Digital Accessibility for Disabilities
Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Proceedings of the 23rd International Web for All Conference
- Publisher
- ACM
- Pages
- 23–32
- Publication date
- 13 April 2026
- Language
- EN