Google Chrome will soon be able to convert PDFs to text and then “read them aloud”
The Google company will soon make life easier for visually impaired people by introducing OCR (optical character recognition) technology in Chrome, which will enable converting PDF files to text and then “reading it aloud”. But that’s not all, because the same tool will describe the photos.
The new feature will roll out to users in the “coming months,” and Google plans to expand it through Chrome. However, it is not yet known which platforms will receive the upgrade.
The move by Google is part of a broader education push that includes app licensing for school Chromebooks and free access to Adobe Express in the US.
Administrators will have more control over what students and teachers can access on their Chromebooks and will be able to block students from copying from certain websites, such as AI generating tools that can ‘help them cheat on tests. In turn, users will be able to turn off the microphone and camera more easily regardless of where they are in the OS.
The PDF converter and text reader is primarily intended for use in classrooms where there are visually impaired students to make it easier for them to read scanned class materials or required research articles. It will also make the Internet more accessible to the public.
