New Developments in Microsoft 365: Enhanced Alt Text Generation
Microsoft Office remains a vital tool in personal, educational, and enterprise settings, primarily due to its continuous updates and enhancements for Microsoft 365 users. Recently, at the Ignite 2025 conference, Microsoft introduced new capabilities, including dedicated Copilot agents for popular applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Additionally, they announced free integration of Copilot Chat across these platforms. Among these advancements, a significant yet understated feature emerged: the upgraded alt text generation for Word and PowerPoint utilizing generative AI technology.
Understanding Alt Text and Its Importance
For those unfamiliar, alt text serves as a descriptive term for images embedded within documents, primarily designed for screen readers. This feature is crucial for users who are blind or have low vision, as it enhances accessibility and inclusivity in document creation. However, the process of embedding alt text can often be labor-intensive, requiring manual input from authors.
Improvements with Generative AI
In an effort to alleviate the challenges associated with alt text generation, Microsoft previously integrated the Azure Vision model to automatically generate basic alt text for images. While this improved accessibility, the descriptions often lacked depth and specificity. The introduction of generative AI models promises a new level of detail, producing alt text that is not only more contextual but also more accurate.
Enhanced Descriptions and User Control
For instance, where Azure Vision might have labeled an image as “Diagram of a house with solar panels, ” the new GenAI models can create a more comprehensive description like, “Diagram illustrating passive solar design principles for a building. Highlights include photovoltaic panels on the south face, well-insulated walls and roof, operable windows for ventilation, and a thermal mass concrete slab with underside insulation.” This shift allows for a richer understanding of the visual content, enhancing the reader’s experience.
New Alt Text Insertion Method
Despite the advancements, users will now need to manually insert alt text when required. This can be accomplished in Word and PowerPoint by navigating to Picture Format > Alt Text > Generate alt text for me. Microsoft asserts that this change provides authors with greater control over their document’s accessibility features.
Considerations for Perpetual License Users
It’s important to note that users with perpetual licenses of Office will not have alt text generated by default. However, they can enable this feature temporarily through File > Options > Accessibility > Automatically generate alt text. Future versions of these perpetual licenses are expected to incorporate generative AI-based alt text generation, aligning more closely with the functionalities available to Microsoft 365 customers. Currently, this advanced feature is accessible to Microsoft 365 Insiders utilizing Word and PowerPoint in Version 2510 (Build 19328.20000) or later.
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