Google software can upload an image, then describe it in words

From Google’s research blog:

“Two pizzas sitting on top of a stove top oven”
“A group of people shopping at an outdoor market”
“Best seats in the house”

People can summarize a complex scene in a few words without thinking twice. It’s much more difficult for computers. But we’ve just gotten a bit closer — we’ve developed a machine-learning system that can automatically produce captions (like the three above) to accurately describe images the first time it sees them. This kind of system could eventually help visually impaired people understand pictures, provide alternate text for images in parts of the world where mobile connections are slow, and make it easier for everyone to search on Google for images.

This is an incredible achievement in computer vision and object detection. Imagine a virtual assistant that could help guide you down the street, cross safely, avoid a crack in the sidewalk, find the entrance to a building. If you are visually impaired, this might make a huge difference in your ability to get around without help.