TREAS · 12 · record R2752

Visualization Alt-Text Generation

Department of the Treasury · Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)

Overview

Development stage: In development or acquisitionSource: a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: The chart- and figure-summarization tool only provides descriptive summaries of visual data for user convenience and does not generate outputs that drive legal, regulatory, or service-impacting decisions. Because humans fully interpret and apply the information, and the tool’s output does not affect rights, benefits, or access to government services, it does not qualify as a High-Impact AI use case.
Start date: Not reported
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Information Technology
Operational functions: Summarization, Translation and transcription Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

Charts, figures, and tables often lack descriptive alt-text, which is essential for accessibility and compliance with federal standards. Creating accurate alt-text manually is time-consuming and requires staff to interpret visual information and translate it into clear, concise narrative descriptions. The AI is intended to automate this process by analyzing visual elements and generating draft alt-text, reducing manual workload and improving consistency in accessibility documentation.

Expected benefits

The AI increases efficiency and ensures more consistent compliance with accessibility requirements, supporting the agency’s mission to provide inclusive and usable information to all stakeholders. Staff benefit from reduced time spent drafting alt-text, enabling them to focus on higher-value analytical and communication tasks. The general public—particularly individuals relying on assistive technologies—benefits from clearer, more accessible descriptions of charts and data visualizations.

System outputs

The AI will generate draft alt-text descriptions for charts, figures, and tables, summarizing key visual elements such as trends, comparisons, labels, and notable data points. Outputs may include short descriptive sentences or structured alt-text templates tailored to the type of visual. These drafts serve as a starting point for staff, who remain responsible for reviewing and finalizing the content to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Technology

AI classification: Generative AISource: Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
System name(s): Not reported
Custom-developed code: Not reported
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Not reported
Vendor (as reported): Not reported
Vendors (standardized): None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: Not reported
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: Not reported
Demographic features: Not reported
Training and evaluation data: Not reported
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported