Designing for accessibility at events has become a fundamental part of the planning process, and captioning content is a key requirement. Advancements in technology have allowed for these solutions to become more affordable and feasible to implement at a large scale. In particular, AI has opened the door to transforming captioning at events.
How AI has changed captioning
Just five years ago, captioning was done almost exclusively by humans, with a stenographer transcribing in real-time. While these professionals were highly skilled, this method was expensive and not scalable, often limited to major keynotes or high-priority breakout sessions. Even for large corporate events, it was simply too costly and labor-intensive to implement across all sessions and rooms.
Fast forward to today. AI-driven solutions have revolutionized the captioning process. AI now allows real-time captioning at a fraction of the cost, with an impressive level of accuracy. These systems can be trained to recognize different voices, dialects, and even industry-specific terminology. The lower cost allows event planners to scale captioning across entire events, making it possible to provide accessibility for all attendees.
Why It’s Important to Offer Captioning at Scale
Captioning serves primarily as an accessibility tool. It ensures that events are more inclusive, allowing people with hearing impairments to fully engage in real time. It also enhances the experience for international audiences. At events where many attendees speak English as a second language, captions can improve comprehension, as many people find reading a language easier than processing spoken words. AI can even translate real-time captions, eliminating the need for costly specialized translation services.
Captioning is not just about accessibility. A growing number of people, particularly younger generations like Gen Z, prefer to consume media with captions regardless of their hearing ability. With captioning becoming the norm on streaming platforms, today’s attendees expect similar accessibility features during live events. Offering captioning at scale ensures your event meets the evolving expectations of your audience.
Types of Captioning Event Planners Should Consider
When planning for captioning, there are three major audiences to consider: the in-room attendees, the remote attendees watching live, and the remote attendees watching post-event. For the in-room audience, real-time captions displayed on screens during presentations not only support accessibility, but also help people who may be seated further away from the stage to follow along.
For your remote audience, both live and post-event, captions ensure accessibility for those who aren’t onsite. Virtual attendees should be able to toggle captions on or off and select the language that works best for them.
What’s Next for Captioning?
As AI continues to advance, the accuracy of captioning will undoubtedly improve. Over time, AI models will become better at recognizing a wider range of accents, languages, and specialized jargon. The reduced cost of this technology will also make captioning more accessible, expanding its use beyond large corporate events to smaller settings like public forums and community gatherings.
At TPN, we have a strong commitment to accessibility and believe that everyone at an event should have the opportunity to fully participate. We continually leverage technology, such as AI and machine learning for captioning and translations, to ensure content is accessible to all.
