Microsoft's New Seeing AI App Uses Artificial Intelligence to Narrate the World

The app takes advantage of Apple’s VoiceOver technology and the iPhone camera to narrate what’s happening.

Here’s a rundown of what the app can do:

• Short Text – Speaks text as soon as it appears in front of the camera.
• Documents – Provides audio guidance to capture a printed page, and recognizes the text, along with its original formatting.
• Products – Scans barcodes, using audio beeps to guide you; hear the name, and package information when available.
• People – Saves people’s faces so you can recognize them, and get an estimate of their age, gender, and emotions.
• Scenes (early preview) – Hear an overall description of the scene captured.
• Images in other apps – Just tap “Share” and “Recognize with Seeing AI” to describe images from Mail, Photos, Twitter, and more.

Designed for the iPhone, Seeing AI: Talking Camera for the Blind can be downloaded now on the App Store for free.

The app is currently available in the United States, Canada, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Singapore. Microsoft is promising additional countries soon. Currently, the app is just in English. You can also head to the app’s site to see more videos about how it works.