Be My AI is now available to all iOS, Android and Windows Desktop users. For more questions on how to use Be My AI, please visit Be My AI FAQ.
Can I use Be My AI without an internet connection?
No. You need an internet connection to access Be My AI. An unstable internet connection can cause delays in the answers received by Be My AI and can lead to longer waiting time to get a response. If you experience unusual slow downs, try to switch between Wi-Fi and your mobile internet connection.
Can I reply to Be My AI with another picture?
Yes. You can both reply with another picture without any additional text or you can reply with both picture and text. To do this you first take a picture and Be My AI generates a description. Then you click "Ask more" which opens a chat mode were you can reply to the initial description with another picture.
Can I send more than one picture to Be My AI?
Yes. After receiving the description of your first picture, you can click on “Ask More” which opens a chat with Be My AI where you can ask follow up questions with text or add more pictures.
Can I call a volunteer after interacting with Be My AI?
Yes, you always have the option to call a volunteer when interacting with Be My AI. If you have a question about the Be My AI response, click "Ask More" and then "Call a Sighted Volunteer." Or you can always exit Be My AI and call a volunteer in the bottom navigation tab "Get support" like you normally would using the app.
Can I save the chat sessions I've had with Be My AI?
Yes. Be My AI automatically archives your chat history for 30 days. You can access your chat archive by clicking the “Archive” button, which is located to the right of the “Take picture” button.
You can also choose to save a chat session for more than 30 days by clicking the “Keep” button in the top-right corner.
How do I get an accurate photo to send to Be My AI? How do I know if the photo is centered and focused?
If your picture is out of focus, not centered or Be My AI is not able to get the information you need from the uploaded picture, Be My AI will ask you to take another picture. You can also ask Be My AI to help you take a better picture by asking questions like “is this picture out of focus?” or “can you see [X item] in the picture?”
How do I share files from external sources (Safari, Facebook etc.) to Be My AI?
It is possible to share a picture to Be My AI using the “Describe with Be My Eyes” function.
On an iPhone you simply long press (or triple tap with Voice Over) on a public picture available online, you can select the “Describe with Be My Eyes” function which will open the Be My AI feature and describe the picture directly in the app. If long pressing is unavailable try to locate a “share” button to access Describe with Be My Eyes.
On Android you long press (or double tap and hold with TalkBack) on a public picture available online and press the "share image" button. In the pop-up for the share function, find and press the "Describe with Be My AI" function. This will open the Be My AI feature and describe the image directly in the app.
Can I use Be My Eyes to describe pictures with faces in it?
Yes, Be My AI can describe pictures containing faces, but it cannot identify the people in the picture or give you detailed information about them. Unfortunately Be My AI can't describe faces for users in the state of Illinois because of legal reasons you can read more about here.
Can I send a picture to Be My AI directly from my photo gallery?
Yes! To upload a picture directly from your photo gallery, open the photos app of your device and locate the picture you want to be described. Then navigate to select the "Share" button in the toolbar and navigate to "Describe with Be My Eyes". That will open the Be My AI feature and describe the picture directly in the app.
Can I use Be My AI in languages other than English?
Yes. We continuously support more languages. Please let us know if you find your language missing.
How are photos and chat interactions processed and stored, and who will have access to my data?
Be My Eyes initially processes your photos and chats to (a) send them to OpenAI for further processing, (b) provide Be My AI’s descriptions, and (c) give you follow up options. OpenAI processes the photos and chats to provide the AI response.
All AI descriptions will be saved for just 30 days, before being deleted. Users have the ability to save specific images if they choose, but by default any images not saved will be deleted after the 30 day period.
The storage and use of your photos and chats by Be My Eyes are governed by our privacy policy.
Should I use Be My AI with personal and financial information?
Please do not use Be My AI to process sensitive personal or financial information. This is one area where asking a trusted friend or family member for help is still the best course of action.
Can I send a video to Be My AI?
No, it is currently not possible to send videos to Be My AI. But hopefully someday…
Does Be My AI work with Voice Over and TalkBack?
Yes, Be My AI and Be My Eyes are fully optimized for screen readers like VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android.
If you don't use a screen reader the description will be read aloud by the apps internal voice system.
Can Be My AI be used hands free?
No. Be My AI is currently not supported by wearable devices.
Is it safe to rely on Be My AI for scanning medicine bottles?
No. Do not use Be My AI for scanning medicines, reading dosages, or other safety issues.
Can I use Be My AI in a room with low light?
Yes. Be My AI will automatically turn on the flash when you take a picture in a low light environment. And if Be My AI is not able to provide an answer because of low quality or insufficient light, it will ask you to take another picture or suggest you consider calling a human volunteer for assistance (iOS only).
Why does it take so long to get a response?
Be My AI creates responses word by word at a constant speed. This means that longer responses take more time. To provide an optimal screen reader experience, Be My AI doesn't use the streaming response mode where the words appear one by one. That way you get the reply at once. This process leads to slower perceived response time.
Will Be My AI always be free?
Our current business plan is to keep Be My AI free. We are generally able to keep our services free because of our contracts and relationships with corporate customers. But if those relationships were to end or fail to grow, we might have to consider other options down the road.
What type of files can I share with Be My AI? Can it read inaccessible PDFs?
Be My AI can read files that are uploaded as a picture. If you take a screenshot of an inaccessible PDF and upload it, Be My AI will be able to read it for you.
How do I get more detailed information of a picture with Be My AI?
Once you send the input picture to Be My AI you can ask any kind of question through the text box in the Be My AI interface. Be My AI has the ability to answer very specific, and very detailed questions based on the picture you have uploaded. If the tool cannot answer a question, you always have the option to call a sighted volunteer.
Why are faces blurred and not available for description in Illinois?
Illinois has a 15-year old law, the Biometric Information Privacy Act, that prohibits using biometric scanning to identify faces. That law, which is outdated, has resulted in past litigation that cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Be My AI does not identify faces, and we believe its descriptions do not violate the Illinois act. We are taking a cautious approach in Illinois, however, to protect the service for our millions of blind and low vision people who do not live there while we work to find a way to confidently bring the service to Illinois.