#AI text to speech for accessibility

[updated-reviews]

Elevate Your Marketing Videos: The Power of AI Text-to-Speech with Different Voices

In today's fast-paced digital world, capturing audience attention is more crucial than ever. Marketing videos have become a cornerstone of successful marketing campaigns, offering a dynamic and engaging way to connect with your target audience. However, creating high-quality video content can be a time-consuming and expensive endeavor, especially when it comes to professional voiceovers.

This is where the magic of AI text-to-speech (TTS) technology comes in. Imagine a world where you can transform your marketing scripts into captivating voiceovers with just a few clicks. AI text-to-speech allows you to do just that, offering a powerful and versatile tool for businesses of all sizes. By leveraging the power of AI, you can create professional-sounding voiceovers in a variety of styles and languages, all at a fraction of the traditional cost.

Beyond the Human Voice: Unveiling the Versatility of AI Text-to-Speech (AI text to speech different voices)

Gone are the days of being limited to a single voice narrator. AI text-to-speech technology boasts a vast library of AI voices, each offering unique characteristics and personalities. This opens up a world of possibilities for your marketing videos. Imagine tailoring the voiceover to perfectly match the tone and style of your brand. Need a friendly and approachable voice for a product explainer video? AI has you covered. Creating a high-energy commercial? No problem! The variety of AI voices allows you to select the perfect narrator to resonate with your target audience and enhance the overall message of your video.

But the versatility of AI text-to-speech goes beyond just voice selection. Many platforms allow you to fine-tune the speaking style, adjusting the pace, pitch, and even adding emphasis for dramatic effect. This level of control empowers you to craft the ideal voiceover that seamlessly integrates with the visuals of your video, creating a truly immersive experience for viewers.

Crafting the Perfect Tone: How AI Creates Emotionally-Charged Voiceovers (convert text to speech with emotions AI)

The human voice is a powerful tool for conveying emotions. A skilled voiceover artist can inject the right amount of enthusiasm, authority, or warmth to captivate the audience. But what if you could achieve the same level of emotional resonance with AI? Believe it or not, AI text-to-speech technology is rapidly evolving to incorporate emotional intelligence.

Some advanced platforms allow you to choose from a range of pre-programmed emotional styles, such as joyful, persuasive, or urgent. This allows you to tailor the emotional delivery of your voiceover to perfectly compliment the message you're trying to convey. Imagine a heartwarming ad for a charity using a gentle and compassionate voice, or a product demonstration packed with excitement and energy. AI text-to-speech empowers you to evoke the desired emotions in your audience, fostering a deeper connection and ultimately driving results.

Elevate Your Reach: Expanding Your Audience with Multilingual AI Voices (AI text to speech for marketing videos)

The global marketplace offers a vast pool of potential customers. However, language barriers can often present a significant hurdle for marketing campaigns. AI text-to-speech technology breaks down these barriers by offering a multilingual solution. Many platforms support a wide range of languages, allowing you to create voiceovers in the native tongue of your target audience. This not only enhances the overall understanding and engagement of your videos but also demonstrates a commitment to catering to a global audience.

Imagine reaching new markets and expanding your brand awareness without the need for expensive voiceover translations. AI text-to-speech provides a cost-effective and efficient way to localize your marketing videos, ensuring your message resonates across borders.

From Budget-Friendly Options to Premium Solutions: Choosing the Best AI Text-to-Speech Software (best AI text to speech software)

The beauty of AI text-to-speech technology lies in its accessibility. A variety of options are available, catering to different needs and budgets. For those just starting out, several free AI text-to-speech converters (free AI text to speech converter) offer basic functionality. These platforms can be a great way to experiment with AI voiceovers and see if they align with your marketing strategy. However, keep in mind that free options may have limitations in terms of voice selection, audio quality, and customization features.

For businesses seeking a more professional and feature-rich solution, several premium AI text-to-speech software providers exist. These platforms offer a wider range of voices, advanced control over audio parameters, and even integration with text to speech API with AI for seamless workflow integration with your video editing software. While premium options come with a cost, the investment can pay off handsomely, allowing you to create high-quality marketing videos that truly stand out from the crowd.

[friendraichu]

My only real gripe with Dropout is their subtitling. It is horrendous, I think especially on D20. Constant mistakes and seems like every other line won't make sense if you're deaf or hard-of-hearing.

I just have auditory processing issues so most of the time I can tell that the captions are wrong, but I can't imagine how misleading the captions are to folks with less of an ability to decipher the audio.

Like I'm sorry to sound harsh but hire someone new for that department, because the quality control is abysmal.

[strangeite]

[ID: First image is a headline that says, "Survey Says: 'Baltimorese' is among the hardest accents in the nation for AI to understand"

Second image is a screenshot of tags by runawaymarbles that say, "#what's this?? it's Aaron with an iron urn!!" /end ID]

Baltimore is a beacon of hope in the war against The Machines

[jonah-miles-smith]

Exploring the Impact of Accessibility Standards in the European Union and Beyond

Introduction: The Growing Importance of Accessibility Standards

In the digital age, ensuring universal access to online resources is paramount. With more than a billion people worldwide living with disabilities, the demand for accessible digital environments has intensified. Accessibility standards, especially in regions like the European Union (EU), are crucial in shaping an inclusive digital landscape. These standards ensure that web content is accessible to all, contributing to a more equitable society. This blog will delve into how these accessibility standards are implemented across the EU, their effects on web UI testing, and the role of performance testing in maintaining digital quality. We will explore their impact on AI-driven accessibility testing tools, continuous monitoring, and multi-platform adaptability, which all contribute to a more inclusive web environment.

The Evolution of Accessibility Standards in the EU

Over the years, the European Union has adopted robust accessibility directives aimed at enhancing digital inclusivity. The European Accessibility Act, for instance, is a legislative measure that mandates accessibility in various sectors, including digital services. This act ensures that businesses prioritize accessible content, thereby opening up digital services to more members of society. One of the primary focuses of these standards is adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide a comprehensive set of criteria for accessibility. Implementing these guidelines necessitates thorough web UI testing to identify and rectify accessibility barriers, ultimately fostering a user-friendly digital landscape.

AI-Powered Accessibility Testing: Revolutionizing Digital Inclusivity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities have considerably advanced the field of accessibility testing by automating many manual processes and improving accuracy. AI-driven tools can perform exhaustive scans of web content, applications, and digital resources, identifying and addressing accessibility issues based on WCAG standards with uncanny speed and precision. Machine learning algorithms analyze code, content, and user interfaces, consistently checking for any violations. Thus, AI contributes to more efficient accessibility testing, reducing the time required for manual web UI testing and enabling continuous performance testing of web environments. The resulting insights help developers prioritize issues, ensuring critical accessibility barriers are prioritized.

The Critical Role of Continuous Testing and Monitoring

Continuous testing and monitoring are indispensable facets of maintaining web accessibility. AI-powered tools facilitate ongoing scrutiny of websites and applications, supporting compliance even as digital content evolves. This proactive approach is crucial for ensuring that digital accessibility remains a priority amid frequent updates and modifications. Automated bots can conduct routine scans, offering real-time feedback to developers. This ongoing assessment ensures that any performance inefficiencies or accessibility issues are promptly addressed, safeguarding the user experience regardless of technological advancements or alterations in digital content.

Prioritizing Accessibility Through Insightful Analytics

Not all accessibility issues carry the same weight, and addressing them effectively requires savvy prioritization. AI systems can help by categorizing issues based on their severity and potential impact on user experience. By assessing against established accessibility standards, developers can focus on immediate high-risk areas, ensuring quick remediation where it matters most. This approach not only enhances user experience but also contributes to general compliance with accessibility regulations. With multi-platform testing, AI simplifies the daunting task of ensuring accessibility across various devices and operating systems, thereby enhancing digital reliability and performance.

Multi-Platform Testing: Ensuring Universal Access

The explosion of digital devices and platforms presents considerable challenges in maintaining consistent web accessibility. AI aids in overcoming these challenges by streamlining multi-platform testing, ensuring that websites and applications work seamlessly across different technologies. This includes simulated user interactions like screen reader usage, keyboard navigation, and voice commands across varying environments. Such thorough testing is integral to identifying device-specific accessibility issues, crucial for inclusivity and user satisfaction. Performance testing further complements this by ensuring that web applications maintain high functionality and responsiveness, optimizing user experience.

Language and Localization: Breaking Down Barriers

AI extends its transformative impact on accessibility by supporting language and localization efforts. For non-English speaking users or those using different character sets, AI-driven tools can detect and resolve language-related issues, making web content more universally accessible. Text-to-speech (TTS) systems powered by AI can convert written text into spoken words across multiple languages, benefitting users with visual impairments or those preferring auditory consumption. Similarly, speech recognition technology aids individuals preferring voice inputs, demonstrating the broad scope of AI in fostering digital inclusivity across language and cultural barriers.

Conclusion: Encouraging a Culture of Digital Inclusivity

The burgeoning role of AI in accessibility testing underscores a crucial shift towards a more inclusive digital environment. By automating complex tasks and offering continuous monitoring, AI enriches the accessibility landscape, ensuring no user is left behind. However, it is essential to recognize the complementary role of human intervention: blending AI efficiency with human insight ensures comprehensive accessibility assessments. Embracing this synergy within the EU and beyond will drive future digital inclusivity, and collaboration among developers, testers, and policymakers will be paramount. As we advance, let us champion these initiatives, fostering a universally accessible digital world. Join us in advocating for digital inclusivity and leveraging technology to dismantle barriers, promoting a truly interconnected online community.

[adasitecompliance]

Digital Content Accessibility

Discover ADA Site Compliance's solutions for digital content accessibility, ensuring inclusivity online!

[incognitopolls]

Anon's explanation:

I’m curious because I see a lot of people claiming to be anti-AI, and in the same post advocating for the use of Glaze and Artshield, which use DiffusionBee and Stable Diffusion, respectively. Glaze creates a noise filter using DiffusionBee; Artshield runs your image through Stable Diffusion and edits it so that it reads as AI-generated. You don’t have to take my work for it. Search for DiffusionBee and Glaze yourself if you have doubts. I’m also curious about machine translation, since Google Translate is trained on the same kinds of data as ChatGPT (social media, etc) and translation work is also skilled creative labor, but people seem to have no qualms about using it. The same goes for text to speech—a lot of the voices people use for it were trained on professional audiobook narration, and voice acting/narration is also skilled creative labor. Basically, I’m curious because people seem to regard these types of gen AI differently than text gen and image gen. Is it because they don’t know? Is it because they don’t think the work it replaces is creative? Is it because of accessibility? (and, if so, why are other types of gen AI not also regarded as accessibility? And even then, it wouldn’t explain the use of Glaze/Artshield)

Additional comments from anon:

I did some digging by infiltrating (lurking in) pro-AI spaces to see how much damage Glaze and other such programs were doing. Unfortunately, it turns out none of those programs deter people from using the ‘protected’ art. In fact, because of how AI training works, they may actually result in better output? Something about adversarial training. It was super disappointing. Nobody in those spaces considers them even a mild deterrent anywhere I looked. Hopefully people can shed some light on the contradictions for me. Even just knowing how widespread their use is would be informative. (I’m not asking about environmental impact as a factor because I read the study everybody cited, and it wasn’t even anti-AI? It was about figuring out the best time of day to train a model to balance solar power vs water use and consumption. And the way they estimated the impact of AI was super weird? They just went with 2020’s data center growth rate as the ‘normal’ growth rate and then any ‘extra’ growth was considered AI. Maybe that’s why it didn’t pass peer review... But since people are still quoting it, that’s another reason for me to wonder why they would use Glaze and Artshield and everything. That’s why running them locally has such heavy GPU requirements and why it takes so long to process an image if you don’t meet the requirements. It’s the same electricity/water cost as generating any other AI image.)

–

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[scarlettgauthor]

I first posted this in a thread over on BlueSky, but I decided to port (a slightly edited version of) it over here, too.

Entirely aside from the absurd and deeply incorrect idea [NaNoWriMo has posited] that machine-generated text and images are somehow "leveling the playing field" for marginalized groups, I think we need to interrogate the base assumption that acknowledging how people have different abilities is ableist/discriminatory. Everyone SHOULD have access to an equal playing field when it comes to housing, healthcare, the ability to exist in public spaces, participating in general public life, employment, etc.

That doesn't mean every person gets to achieve every dream no matter what.

I am 39 years old and I have scoliosis and genetically tight hamstrings, both of which deeply impact my mobility. I will never be a professional contortionist. If I found a robot made out of tentacles and made it do contortion and then demanded everyone call me a contortionist, I would be rightly laughed out of any contortion community. Also, to make it equivalent, the tentacle robot would be provided for "free" by a huge corporation based on stolen unpaid routines from actual contortionists, and using it would boil drinking water in the Southwest into nothingness every time I asked it to do anything, and the whole point would be to avoid paying actual contortionists.

If you cannot - fully CAN NOT - do something, even with accommodations, that does not make you worth less as a person, and it doesn't mean the accommodations shouldn't exist, but it does mean that maybe that thing is not for you.

But who CAN NOT do things are not who uses "AI." It's people who WILL NOT do things.

"AI art means disabled people can be artists who wouldn't be able to otherwise!" There are armless artists drawing with their feet. There are paralyzed artists drawing with their mouths, or with special tracking software that translates their eye movements into lines. There are deeply dyslexic authors writing via text-to-speech. There are deaf musicians. If you actually want to do a thing and care about doing the thing, you can almost always find a way to do the thing.

Telling a machine to do it for you isn't equalizing access for the marginalized. It's cheating. It's anti-labor. It makes it easier for corporations not to pay creative workers, AND THAT'S IS WHY THEY'RE PUSHING IT EVERYWHERE.

I can't wait for the bubble to burst on machine-generated everything, just like it did for NFTs. When it does some people are going to discover they didn't actually learn anything or develop any transferable skills or make anything they can be proud of.

I hope a few of those people pick up a pencil.

It's never too late to start creating. It's never too late to actually learn something. It's never too late to realize that the work is the point.

[bamsara]

Your bio says that ai voice overs are not allowed, does that include (example) tools like text to speech for people who are dyslexic, have vision problems or can’t/won’t read paragraphs that long? As in listening to the text rather than reading it, as private use? Love your content btw :3

Using built-in accessibility tools in your device, like your mobile phone's narration or window's narration tool is fine. If you go to the 'Accessibility' setting in your device, you have a couple of options to use. When I have difficulty I use that, I use 'Zira' for my voice personally but that's just a preference

Please do not upload my fic to any third-party apps/app store for AI generated voice overs, as many of those apps have scraped the data it reads, or force you to pay a 'subscription' in order to have access to ai voices. Even if you are using it for private use, an app or extension like that may scrape fics and make profit from it.

[ellipsus-writes]

Each week (or so), we'll highlight the relevant (and sometimes rage-inducing) news adjacent to writing and freedom of expression. (Find it on the blog too!) This week:

Censorship watch: Somehow, KOSA returned

It’s official: The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is back from the dead. After failing to pass last year, the bipartisan bill has returned with fresh momentum and the same old baggage—namely, vague language that could endanger hosting platforms, transformative work, and implicitly target LGBTQ+ content under the guise of “protecting kids.”

… But wait, it gets better (worse). Republican Senator Mike Lee has introduced a new bill that makes other attempts to censor the internet look tame: the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA)—basically KOSA on bath salts. Lee’s third attempt since 2022, the bill would redefine what counts as “obscene” content on the internet, and ban it nationwide—with “its peddlers prosecuted.”

Whether IODA gains traction in Congress is still up in the air. But free speech advocates are already raising alarm bells over its implications.

The bill aims to gut the long-standing legal definition of “obscenity” established by the 1973 Miller v. California ruling, which currently protects most speech under the First Amendment unless it fails a three-part test. Under the Miller test, content is only considered legally obscene if it 1: appeals to prurient interests, 2: violates “contemporary community standards,” and 3: is patently offensive in how it depicts sexual acts.

IODA would throw out key parts of that test—specifically the bits about “community standards”—making it vastly easier to prosecute anything with sexual content, from films and photos, to novels and fanfic.

Under Lee’s definition (which—omg shocking can you believe this coincidence—mirrors that of the Heritage Foundation), even the most mild content with the affect of possible “titillation” could be included. (According to the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, the proposed definition is so broad it could rope in media on the level of Game of Thrones—or, generally, anything that depicts or describes human sexuality.) And while obscenity prosecutions are quite rare these days, that could change if IODA passes—and the collateral damage and criminalization (especially applied to creative freedoms and LGBT+ content creators) could be massive.

And while Lee’s last two obscenity reboots failed, the current political climate is... let’s say, cloudy with a chance of fascism.

Sound a little like Project 2025? Ding ding ding! In fact, Russell Vought, P2025’s architect, was just quietly appointed to take over DOGE from Elon Musk (the agency on a chainsaw crusade against federal programs, culture, and reality in general).

So. One bill revives vague moral panic, another wants to legally redefine it and prosecute creators, and the man who helped write the authoritarian playbook—with, surprise, the intent to criminalize LGBT+ content and individuals—just gained control of the purse strings.

Cool cool cool.

AO3 works targeted in latest (massive) AI scraping

Rewind to last month—In the latest “wait, they did what now?” moment for AI, a Hugging Face user going by nyuuzyou uploaded a massive dataset made up of roughly 12.6 million fanworks scraped from AO3—full text, metadata, tags, and all. (Info from r/AO3: If your works’ ID numbers between 1 and 63,200,000, and has public access, the work has been scraped.)

And it didn’t stop at AO3. Art and writing communities like PaperDemon and Artfol, among others, also found their content had been quietly scraped and posted to machine learning hubs without consent.

This is yet another attempt in a long line of more “official” scraping of creative work, and the complete disregard shown by the purveyors of GenAI for copyright law and basic consent. (Even the Pope agrees.)

AO3 filed a DMCA takedown, and Hugging Face initially complied—temporarily. But nyuuzyou responded with a counterclaim and re-uploaded the dataset to their personal website and other platforms, including ModelScope and DataFish—sites based in China and Russia, the same locations reportedly linked to Meta’s own AI training dataset, LibGen.

Some writers are locking their works. Others are filing individual DMCAs. But as long as bad actors and platforms like Hugging Face allow users to upload massive datasets scraped from creative communities with minimal oversight, it’s a circuitous game of whack-a-mole. (As others have recommended, we also suggest locking your works for registered users only.)

After disavowing AI copyright, leadership purge hits U.S. cultural institutions

In news that should give us all a brief flicker of hope, the U.S. Copyright Office officially confirmed: if your “creative” work was generated entirely by AI, it’s not eligible for copyright.

A recently released report laid it out plainly—human authorship is non-negotiable under current U.S. law, a stance meant to protect the concept of authorship itself from getting swallowed by generative sludge. The report is explicit in noting that generative AI draws “on massive troves of data, including copyrighted works,” and asks: “Do any of the acts involved require the copyright owners’ consent or compensation?” (Spoiler: yes.) It’s a “straight ticket loss for the AI companies” no matter how many techbros’ pitch decks claim otherwise (sorry, Inkitt).

“The Copyright Office (with a few exceptions) doesn’t have the power to issue binding interpretations of copyright law, but courts often cite to its expertise as persuasive,” tech law professor Blake. E Reid wrote on Bluesky.As the push to normalize AI-generated content continues (followed by lawsuits), without meaningful human contribution—actual creative labor—the output is not entitled to protection.

… And then there’s the timing.

The report dropped just before the abrupt firing of Copyright Office director Shira Perlmutter, who has been vocally skeptical of AI’s entitlement to creative work.

It's yet another culture war firing—one that also conveniently clears the way for fewer barriers to AI exploitation of creative work. And given that Elon Musk’s pals have their hands all over current federal leadership and GenAI tulip fever… the overlap of censorship politics and AI deregulation is looking less like coincidence and more like strategy.

Also ousted (via email)—Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. According to White House press secretary and general ghoul Karoline Leavitt, Dr. Hayden was dismissed for “quite concerning things that she had done… in the pursuit of DEI, and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.” (Translation: books featuring queer people and POC.)

Dr. Hayden, who made history as the first Black woman to hold the position, spent the last eight years modernizing the Library of Congress, expanding digital access, and turning the institution into something more inclusive, accessible, and, well, public. So of course, she had to go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The American Library Association condemned the firing immediately, calling it an “unjust dismissal” and praising Dr. Hayden for her visionary leadership. And who, oh who might be the White House’s answer to the LoC’s demanding and (historically) independent role?

The White House named Todd Blanche—AKA Trump’s personal lawyer turned Deputy Attorney General—as acting Librarian of Congress.

That’s not just sus, it’s likely illegal—the Library is part of the legislative branch, and its leadership is supposed to be confirmed by Congress. (You know, separation of powers and all that.)

But, plot twist: In a bold stand, Library of Congress staff are resisting the administration's attempts to install new leadership without congressional approval.

If this is part of the broader Project 2025 playbook, it’s pretty clear: Gut cultural institutions, replace leadership with stunningly unqualified loyalists, and quietly centralize control over everything from copyright to the nation’s archives.

Because when you can’t ban the books fast enough, you just take over the library.

Rebellions are built on hope

Over the past few years (read: eternity), a whole ecosystem of reactionary grifters has sprung up around Star Wars—with self-styled CoNtEnT CrEaTorS turning outrage to revenue by endlessly trashing the fandom. It’s all part of the same cynical playbook that radicalized the fallout of Gamergate, with more lightsabers and worse thumbnails. Even the worst people you know weighed in on May the Fourth (while Prequel reassessment is totally valid—we’re not giving J.D. Vance a win).

But one thing that shouldn't be up for debate is this: Andor, which wrapped its phenomenal two-season run this week, is probably the best Star Wars project of our time—maybe any time. It’s a masterclass in what it means to work within a beloved mythos and transform it, deepen it, and make it feel urgent again. (Sound familiar? Fanfic knows.)

Radicalization, revolution, resistance. The banality of evil. The power of propaganda. Colonialism, occupation, genocide—and still, in the midst of it all, the stubborn, defiant belief in a better world (or Galaxy).

Even if you’re not a lifelong SW nerd (couldn’t be us), you should give it a watch. It’s a nice reminder that amidst all the scraping, deregulation, censorship, enshittification—stories matter. Hope matters.

And we’re still writing.

Let us know if you find something other writers should know about, or join our Discord and share it there!

- The Ellipsus Team xo

[pericardium-and-glass]

Angry about Lore.fm the "AO3 Audible app"

For those who don't know, Lore.fm is an app that's advertised as "audible for AO3". It uses AI text-to-speech voices to read fics on an app completely separated from AO3 and creates a local copy of the fic audio on your device. It is stated to be non-profit.

1. It's opt-out not opt-in, that alone is a red flag and worthy of suspicion. The only way to not get your fic used without permission is to email them - it is unsafe and dubious to hand out personal email addresses to companies you don't know.

2. It takes engagement and agency away from the authors. Readers using this app don't even need to interact with the original AO3 post. Only a link is needed to generate the audio. An extension would've been significantly more ethical than an app.

3. Valid criticisms towards this project are labelled by the developer as "ableist and classist". Most devices and browsers already have FREE screen readers available. Especially for IOS (since this is mainly advertised for IOS), the existing built-in accessibility screen reader is very decent! I'd know cause I've been using it for more than a decade!

4. The developers show zero transparency. The devs listed for this app are also in a company that made an AI WRITING/STORYTELLING APP called Spinoff. The fact that this information is hidden on the appstore for Lore.fm tells me all that I need to know. I found the source for this on this comment by CupcakeBeautiful. [Edit: Unfortunately, the comment has been deleted by reddit for some reason, so I have removed the link to it.]

This whole thing pisses me off. Once again it shows that people don't respect and don't care about actual fic writers. I wish people would stop exploiting fanfiction authors under the guise of accessibility. Please think carefully if this is a company/project you'd want to support.

I don't usually post things like this on this blog, but I don't think a lot of people are aware of this situation on tumblr. Please feel free to add any information that I've missed. If this post comes off as aggressive, I apologise. I am just very frustrated.

[novella-november]

Well. I have a feeling I'm about to have a million new followers. (March 31st, 2025; not an April Fool's joke, unless Nanowrimo has very poor taste and timing)

Here's a link that explains in long video format the whole entire thing in detail:

and to sum it up:

This blog was made as an Anti-Generative AI to Nanowrimo, as well as a way to actually build a friendly, low-pressure, helpful community of aspiring writers, without the hard-fast-do-it-or-die pressure brought on by nanowrimo.

There is no official "contest" -- only a community coming together to inspire each other to write, help out with motivation by setting community goals, keeping participation motivation via Trackbear.app, etc!

The most popular writing challenge is still November for most people, but I myself have also started to keep a year-round, daily writing goal of 444 via the website 4thewords, which has been an extreme help in getting me to write a little at a time.

This year has been very hectic for everyone what with the election results so I haven't been very active on tumblr (I think everyone can understand that) but I was originally planning on also having each month of the year being a different themed writing / art challenge but got a bit distracted real life.

So, what is the Novella November Challenge?

It's a fun challenge where writers come together to write 30,000 (or your own personal writing goal!) words in 30 days, sharing tips, writing advice, plot ideas, accessibility aids, and committing to having fun while explicitly fighting back against Generative AI by using our own words and disavowing the use of scraping and generating to take away the livelyhoods of artists of all spectrums, and proving everyone who insists "generative AI is an accessibility tool" wrong by committing to our creative visions and making it easier for everyone to find the tools they need to succeed by sharing tips, free programs, and finding a like-minded community to support you! 💙

There is no official website, there is no required place to show your participation, this is a community initiative that will never be monetized by predatory sponsors or dangerous moderators abusing their power.

This blog is here to inspire everyone, regardless of experience level, to write and create the story they want to tell, in their own words, while striving to remain a fun, low-pressure challenge that doesn't turn into a stressful spiral, like often happened with Nano.

Want to start writing but not sure how? Don't have money to spend on expensive writing programs? Have no fear!

LibreOffice: An always free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Word (and Microsoft's other office suits)

4Thewords: A website (both desktop and mobile web browser) that syncs your writing cross platform to the cloud, with built-in daily word goals, streak tracking, and you can fight monsters with your word count to game-ify writing!

Trackbear: A website dedicated to tracking your writing, setting custom goals, and creating leaderboards for community participation; you can join the year-long community leaderboard with the Join Code "f043cc66-6d5d-45b2-acf1-204626a727ba" and a November-limited one will release on November 1st as well.

Want to use Text to Speech to dictate your novel?

Most modern phones have a built-in option available on your keyboard settings which can be used on any writing program on your phone, and most modern PCs that allow a microphone (including headphone) connection has some kind of native dictation function, which you can find by opening your start panel and searching your computer for "Speech to text" or "voice to text".

Want to write while on the go, but don't want to / can't use the small phone keyboard to type, or speech to text?

You can, for as cheap as $40, buy a bluetooth keyboard that you can pair with your smart phone or tablet and use to write in any and all writing applications on your phone -- this allows you to write on the goal (especially using cross-platform websites or services, like 4thewords or google docs) , and the small screen can also help minimize distractions by muting notifications in your writing time.

[millermenapologist]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: the app has been pulled, and the creator issued an "apology." All videos advertising it are now gone too.

Fandom friends, we once again got hit by the tech bros.

In the past few days, TikTok "creator" unravel.me.now has been advertising their new app to "transform all fics into audiobooks." Fics will be fed into the app, and an AI will churn out a text-to-speech version of it.

As per the app's creator's word, this is an opt-out situation: if you're an author and don't want your work to be used this way, you have to email them (team@lore.fm), provide proof of your ownership of the Ao3 account you are asking them not to use, and sternly demand to not be included in this shitshow. If you don't do this, you are giving blanket permission to the app's creator and to its users to do of your work whatever they please.

Of note, this won't stop the wrongful usage of your works either: if a reader of yours were to upload the file of one of your stories to the app, the app will churn out an audiobook version of it anyway.

If you email them, they will get back to you saying that what they're doing is perfectly within legality and that you have no recourse against them. Do not listen to them: they are purposefully trying to intimidate you. If you were to discover that your work has been used by this app, you can easily DMCA it, on the basis that they are using content you created in a non-transformative way and are doing so without your permission.

As a last point, it should be noted that this app was created by the same business who is making money off of AI stories. The reason why they're so interested in this project is because they are scraping material and feeding it into other AI apps, and do so under the guise of accessibility, as they know it'll give them considerably much less backlash. So far, the woman who is the face of this mess has pinky-promised no material will be scraped, but considering how hollow the rest of her promises are, there is simply no way this isn't one too.

[transgenderer]

i dont think its totally preposterous to believe that LLM's are in some sense a "person", the only other things we know of to be able to produce speech that cogent are people, and the speech production capacity (or in some sense "potential capacity") seems central to what makes a person a person HOWEVER people who interpret those comics people have GPT make about being an AI as meaningful insight into what the experience of said hypothetical-person drive me insane. like. thats not how it works!

when you submit such a prompt, you are asking it to make a plausible confabulation of the experiences of an imagined AI figure. it is writing fiction! that's...what it does! it's a fiction writing machine, its mechanism of action is fiction-writing, that's how its "brain" functions! i mean okay, technically it's not fiction writing it's text-mimicking. but you've given it a "tell me a story" prompt, it's going to write you some fiction.

the theoretical probability distribution it's learning, the probability distribution that generates all the human text on the internet (and then gets modified by later fine-tuning), does not include insights into the experience of what it's like to be an LLM! (assuming such experiences exist). like, it's maybe not totally implausible you could use an LLM's verbal capacity to access their experiences (again, assuming those experiences exist). they are, in some sense, "only" verbal capacity. but the idea that you could do this by just ASKING is nonsensical: if you ask it to tell you a story about what being an AI is like, it will make up something that looks like what you expect: it is a machine that does that

[adasitecompliance]

AI Influences Web Accessibility

The Future Of AI And Web Accessibility

In our increasingly digital world, equal access to information is crucial. However, many individuals with disabilities face challenges in accessing online content, such as websites, articles, and videos, due to various barriers.

Imagine a world where technology empowers everyone to access information effortlessly, regardless of their abilities. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), this vision is becoming a reality. AI is breaking down barriers and making technology more accessible.

By improving information accessibility, AI not only aids individuals with disabilities but also enhances the overall user experience for everyone. ChatGPT-3 has accelerated AI-driven innovation, and while the future of AI and website accessibility is unknown, innovative technologies like GPT-5 have immense potential to enhance accessibility.

We at ADA Site Compliance have a team of accessibility experts who stay updated with the latest regulatory trends and emerging technology. They help organizations like yours ensure that all digital content meets accessibility standards.

Exploring the Future Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) involves creating computer systems designed to mimic human intelligence. A fundamental aspect of AI is machine learning algorithms, a subset that allows computers to learn and evolve based on experience without explicit programming.

Technological advancements have unlocked AI’s vast potential, enabling intelligent devices to perform tasks that once were solely within the realm of human cognition.

What is AI?

To grasp how AI influences web accessibility, we first need to define it.

Artificial Intelligence involves developing software and systems that perform tasks requiring human intelligence. AI achieves this through various technologies, including natural language processing and computer vision. As these functions become more accessible, they benefit society even more

What Are Accessibility Technologies?

Accessibility technologies provide tools and solutions to ensure that people with disabilities can access and use web content effectively. These technologies, including AI-powered tools like chatbots, digital platforms like GPT, screen readers, and alternative input devices, are designed to enhance digital accessibility and foster inclusivity.

Current AI Technologies

AI is rapidly enhancing web accessibility. Improved computer vision algorithms are making it easier for visually impaired users and seniors to understand web content through better descriptions of visual content.

Here are a few examples of current AI technologies:

1. GPT-4:

OpenAI’s newest chatbot, GPT-4, enhances accessibility for third-party companies. In partnership with Be My Eyes, GPT-4 introduces an AI-powered Virtual Volunteer to assist visually impaired individuals.

2. Apple’s Accessibility Features:

Apple continues to set the standard in accessibility with a suite of new tools launched on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. These enhancements include improved Voice Control, customizable Siri options, and a unique Assistive Access mode to simplify device usage for people with motor or cognitive disabilities.

3. Google’s Enhanced Navigation Features:

In October, Google upgraded its navigation features for Google Maps and business pages. These enhancements include wheelchair-accessible walking routes, improved Live View for visually impaired users, and a new identity attribute label to help locate disabled-owned businesses.

4. Natural Language Processing (NLP):

NLP enhances text readability, aiding individuals with cognitive disorders, learning disabilities, and age-related cognitive decline.

Despite these advancements, this cutting-edge technology is not yet perfect. Image recognition still struggles with complex scenes and context, and NLP-based text simplification can sometimes lead to a loss of significance. Nevertheless, these developments represent a promising beginning for enhanced digital accessibility.

Examples of How AI Enhances Digital Accessibility

Individuals with visual, auditory, or mobility impairments often face challenges in navigating the digital landscape of the web. Here are some ways AI is making accessibility improvements:

1) Speech Recognition

Speech recognition technology is incredibly beneficial for those with physical limitations, restricted mobility, or typing difficulties. AI-powered speech and voice recognition technologies enable users to control devices and navigate the web using voice commands, significantly enhancing their online accessibility and overall experience.

2) Enhanced Browsing Experience

Did you know that AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots can significantly enhance online browsing?

These technologies provide personalized support, helping individuals with disabilities access important information and navigate websites more effectively. Accessible websites perform better in search engines but also offer a superior user experience for everyone.

3) AI-Enhanced Visualization for Visually Impaired Users

Imagine a world where images and text describe everything around you. AI-powered screen readers and text-to-speech technologies make written content accessible for visually impaired individuals. Additionally, image recognition systems can describe photos, videos, and live scenes, offering valuable assistance to those with visual impairments.

A crucial accessibility element for visually impaired users is “alt text.” AI can automatically generate alt text for images and videos, ensuring quick and accurate descriptions that describe images. This allows screen readers to interpret and explain on-screen images, making web content more inclusive and accessible.

AI Benefits for Web Accessibility

AI is revolutionizing web accessibility, offering numerous benefits that enhance the online experience for individuals with disabilities. Here are some key advantages AI brings to web accessibility:

a) Enhanced Access

AI has significantly advanced web accessibility for individuals with disabilities. It removes obstacles, enabling users to navigate websites, consume multimedia content more, and engage in online communities more effectively.

b) Boosted Independence and Autonomy

AI empowers individuals with disabilities to use the internet independently. This innovation allows them to manage their online activities without assistance, fostering greater inclusion and promoting autonomy.

Challenges Posed by AI on Web Accessibility

AI enhances online accessibility, but it also introduces several challenges. Here are some key issues AI poses for web accessibility:

i) Accuracy Challenges

Despite advancements, AI often struggles with providing reliable captions, descriptions, translations, and voice recognition. Errors in these areas can make it difficult for users to understand content, thereby limiting the effectiveness of accessibility features.

ii) Over-Reliance

Relying too heavily on AI to improve web accessibility can result in overlooking other essential aspects of accessible design. Use AI alongside comprehensive other accessibility guidelines and principles and not seen as a universal solution.

Future of AI-Driven Web Accessibility

With AI becoming more advanced, it will continue enhancing technology usability and improving web accessibility. Developers will save time and resources when using these tools to discover and fix accessibility issues.

Remember that automated tools cannot guarantee accessibility compliance.

Human knowledge and manual testing by experienced accessibility auditing specialists will still be needed to discover complicated issues and create a fully inclusive user experience for elders and disabled people.

This is where we at ADA Site Compliance can help. We have a team of accessibility experts and web developers who stay updated with the latest regulatory trends to help organizations like yours ensure all web content meets accessibility standards.

For all your website and digital content accessibility needs, contact ADA Site Compliance today!

[askablindperson]

In what way does alt text serve as an accessibility tool for blind people? Do you use text to speech? I'm having trouble imagining that. I suppose I'm in general not understanding how a blind person might use Tumblr, but I'm particularly interested in the function of alt text.

In short, yes. We use text to speech (among other access technology like braille displays) very frequently to navigate online spaces. Text to speech software specifically designed for blind people are called screen readers, and when use on computers, they enable us to navigate the entire interface using the keyboard instead of the mouse And hear everything on screen, as long as those things are accessible. The same applies for touchscreens on smart phones and tablets, just instead of using keyboard commands, it alters the way touch affect the screen so we hear what we touch before anything actually gets activated. That part is hard to explain via text, but you should be able to find many videos online of blind people demonstrating how they use their phones.

As you may be able to guess, images are not exactly going to be accessible for text to speech software. Blindness screen readers are getting better and better at incorporating OCR (optical character recognition) software to help pick up text in images, and rudimentary AI driven Image descriptions, but they are still nowhere near enough for us to get an accurate understanding of what is in an image the majority of the time without a human made description.

Now I’m not exactly a programmer so the terminology I use might get kind of wonky here, but when you use the alt text feature, the text you write as an image description effectively gets sort of embedded onto the image itself. That way, when a screen reader lands on that image, Instead of having to employ artificial intelligences to make mediocre guesses, it will read out exactly the text you wrote in the alt text section.

Not only that, but the majority of blind people are not completely blind, and usually still have at least some amount of residual vision. So there are many blind people who may not have access to a screen reader, but who may struggle to visually interpret what is in an image without being able to click the alt text button and read a description. Plus, it benefits folks with visual processing disorders as well, where their visual acuity might be fine, but their brain’s ability to interpret what they are seeing is not. Being able to click the alt text icon in the corner of an image and read a text description Can help that person better interpret what they are seeing in the image, too.

Granted, in most cases, typing out an image description in the body of the post instead of in the alt text section often works just as well, so that is also an option. But there are many other posts in my image descriptions tag that go over the pros and cons of that, so I won’t digress into it here.

Utilizing alt text or any kind of image description on all of your social media posts that contain images is single-handedly one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to directly help blind people, even if you don’t know any blind people, and even if you think no blind people would be following you. There are more of us than you might think, and we have just as many varied interests and hobbies and beliefs as everyone else, so where there are people, there will also be blind people. We don’t only hang out in spaces to talk exclusively about blindness, we also hang out in fashion Facebook groups and tech subreddits and political Twitter hashtags and gaming related discord servers and on and on and on. Even if you don’t think a blind person would follow you, You can’t know that for sure, and adding image descriptions is one of the most effective ways to accommodate us even if you don’t know we’re there.

I hope this helps give you a clearer understanding of just how important alt text and image descriptions as a whole are for blind accessibility, and how we make use of those tools when they are available.

[ao3-shenanigans]

I wanted to know if using the text to speech voices to read a fix to you so you could listen to it in the background is ok. Like not feeding it into an ai or anything, but using a browser extension or something to read off of the page like the read aloud feature on the microsoft edge browser.

I used to do it before ai came out and I wanted to get back into reading fic but sometimes I prefer just listening in the background due to time and all that. But I'm not completely sure it's ethical now that people have started talking about not liking their works being read by ai

Yeah, that’s an accessibility tool. My family uses browser extensions like that to get through textbooks, if it’s just a text-to-speech device, you’re fine :)