Copilot+ PCs are a new class of Windows 11 PCs that feature a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of performing more than 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). Microsoft is now shipping several exclusive AI experiences for Copilot+ PCs, which include Recall, Paint Cocreator, Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions, and Automatic Super Resolution.
Today, the Microsoft Office Accessibility team announced a new exclusive feature for Copilot+ PCs through which users can enjoy rich alt text automatically generated when they insert an image in Word and PowerPoint. Alt text is a critical accessibility feature in a Word or PowerPoint document. It helps people with visual disabilities understand images. When they use a screen reader, they will hear the alt text describing the picture.
Generally, people who create the Word or PowerPoint presentation should manually enter the alt text for the images. By using the power of NPUs in Copilot+ PCs, Word and PowerPoint can now generate descriptive, context-specific, and meaningful alt text even without having an internet connection, since the alt text generation happens completely on-device using built-in AI models.
Here"s how this feature works:
- When inserting a new image:
- Insert an image in a Word document or PowerPoint presentation on your Copilot+ PC, and notice that alt text is automatically added as an option at the bottom of the image.
- To apply the alt text as is, select Approve, or select Edit to open the Alt Text pane, review the description, and make changes.
- Adding alt text to an existing image:
- In Word or PowerPoint on your Copilot+ PC, select an image, and then select Picture Format > Alt Text. NOTE: You can also select Review > Check Accessibility > Missing Alt Text.
- Select Generate alt text for me, and notice that the alt text is rich, contextual, and meaningful.
This new AI-powered Alt Text feature is now available on Word and PowerPoint for Windows with a Microsoft 365 subscription and running Windows 11 Version 2512 (Build 19530.20006) or later on a Copilot+ PC.