OtherConsumer FacingVerified
Reviewed and published by trentmaziarz, March 18, 2026. Discovered and drafted by our automated research pipeline.
Adobe InDesign version 21.2, released in January 2026, added an AI feature that automatically generates alt text — written descriptions of images used by screen readers to assist people who are blind or have low vision. The feature is on by default and has received mixed reactions from users about its accuracy.
Details
The AI analyzes images placed in InDesign layouts and writes descriptive alt text for each image frame automatically, without requiring designers to write descriptions manually. This addresses a common accessibility compliance gap in professional publishing workflows, where alt text is frequently omitted. Early community feedback indicates the AI sometimes misidentifies content or generates generic descriptions lacking the nuance needed for meaningful accessibility. The same release also added ARIA roles and labels for EPUB documents to improve screen reader compatibility.
Products affected
Adobe InDesign
Sources & Evidence
Cite this record
Trace Foundation. (2026). Adobe: Adobe InDesign version 21.2, released in January 2026, added an AI feature that automatically generates alt text — written descriptions of images used by screen readers to assist people who are blind or have low vision. The feature is on by default and has received mixed reactions from users about its accuracy (data as of 2026-03-18) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/a4cf5dd6-2d42-46a8-9ae4-71da1d62ca09. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Stable link
- https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/a4cf5dd6-2d42-46a8-9ae4-71da1d62ca09
- Data as of
- March 18, 2026
- Last verified
- February 28, 2026
Other practices by Adobe
OtherIn June 2024, Adobe pushed updated Terms of Use to all Creative Cloud users that required mandatory acceptance before they could continue using their software. The language alarmed many users and creative professionals who believed Adobe was claiming the right to use their personal work to train AI models. Adobe published clarifications and then released fully revised terms later that month.OtherAdobe has maintained a formal set of AI ethics principles since 2019, built around three pillars: Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency. Every product team developing an AI feature must complete an internal AI Ethics Impact Assessment before launch. Adobe updated these principles in October 2024.Creative GenAdobe co-founded the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) in November 2019 with The New York Times and Twitter to build open-source tools and industry standards that let people verify where a piece of digital media came from and whether it has been altered. As of January 2026, the CAI has over 6,000 member organizations including major news outlets, camera makers, tech companies, and social platforms
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