Be My AI: Powerful visual assistance with AI

What about getting descriptions of pictures from other apps?

Be My AI goes beyond just generating descriptions of images you take within the Be My Eyes app. You can receive descriptions of photos from other apps too!

You could use Be My AI to sort through your photo library, get descriptions of photos sent to you in chats on apps like Messages and WhatsApp, and get descriptions of images you come across on social media.

If you’re in any app that supports photo sharing using the standard iOS share sheet, you’re all set. Once you’re in the share sheet, activate the ‘Describe with Be My Eyes’ option and Be My AI will jump into action, generating a detailed description for you.

Some apps, like Facebook, don’t allow you to share directly to Be My AI despite it being an option in the share sheet – don’t worry, there is a workaround for this: save the picture to your camera roll, and you can share it from there.

Just like when using Be My AI through taking pictures with the Be My Eyes app, you can ask follow-up questions to dig deeper if you’re after more specific information.

When you’re done, just press the Cancel button and you will be returned seamlessly back to the image so you can continue browsing where you left off.

It’s important to note that Be My AI currently only supports documents in picture format, for example JPG and PNG. While it can’t process other formats such as PDF, and it can’t yet describe videos, the possibilities with image-based content are vast.

Want an example of Be My AI in action? The photo below was taken at our wonderful Arts And Crafts Centre in Knaresborough, of one of our fantastic art makers in our pottery workshop. The alt text is the description generated by Be My AI.

What should I know before using Be My AI?

Be My AI uses advanced artificial intelligence to generate image descriptions.

It’s important to note that while it strives for accuracy, it may not get it right 100% of the time.

When it comes to taking photos, Be My AI doesn’t provide real-time guidance, meaning you may not know exactly what you have taken a picture of until you receive a description. If you’re aiming for a specific image, it may take a few attempts. While Be My AI can offer guidance for taking photos as part of a generated description or answer to a follow-up question, this isn’t instant, so it may take a few attempts to refine your photos for what you are trying to get a description of.

For your safety and the best user experience, Be My Eyes recommends that you do not use Be My AI for the following tasks:

• Interpreting personal and sensitive information
• Accessing allergen information
• Reading the contents of medicine packages
• Assisting with mobility – You could use Be My AI to check the boards at your local bus stop, but it is not a substitute for a mobility aid, or orientation and mobility skills.

What does Alice think of Be My AI?

As soon as I heard about Be My AI, I immediately got myself on the waitlist, and was counting down the days until I could finally use it.
As soon as I could, I immediately put it to work.
If there’s one thing I love most about Be My AI, it’s the quality of the descriptions. I’ve never had an app give me such detail.
For example, I shared a photo of my cat – Be My AI not only told me it was a photo of a cat, it also told me what my cat looked like, and about what she was lying on.
I also shared a photo of an invitation to an Apple event that had been posted on social media, and Be My AI described all the content including text, the Apple logo, and the placement of the content on the invitation, for example what was at the top and what was at the bottom.
Other apps I use, like Seeing AI, have introduced the ability to generate detailed descriptions, but the descriptions don’t feel as natural as those generated by Be My AI.
Be My AI will now always be my first choice for image descriptions, unless I need to ask for assistance from a person.

Alice, Henshaws Digital Communications Officer and Be My AI user

What do we think at Henshaws?

We’re all about enabling our fantastic service users to achieve their ambitions and go beyond expectations here at Henshaws, and we think Be My AI is another tool that will enable them to do just that.

Be My AI is groundbreaking and life-changing technology. Be My Eyes is very dedicated to making it the best it can be, to enable people to get the most out of it and enjoy its benefits with ease.

How can I watch Be My AI in action?

Want to see Be My AI working its magic? In the video below, you can see and hear how Be My AI works, with even more examples of image descriptions. It also gives the main points of this blog.