ΑΙhub.org
 

New algorithm follows human intuition to make visual captioning more grounded

visual captions | AIhub

Annotating and labeling datasets for machine learning problems is an expensive and time-consuming process for computer vision and natural language scientists. However, a new deep learning approach is being used to decode, localize, and reconstruct image and video captions in seconds, making the machine-generated captions more reliable and trustworthy.

To solve this problem, researchers at the Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech (ML@GT) and Facebook have created the first cyclical algorithm that can be applied to visual captioning models. The model is able to use the three-step processing during training to make the model more visually-grounded without human annotations or introducing additional computations when deployed, saving researchers time and money on their datasets.

The algorithm employs attention mechanisms, an intuitive concept for humans, when looking at a photo or video. This means that it tries to determine what aspects are important in an image and sequentially create a sentence explaining the visual.

This new model helps solve issues with previous attempts where an algorithm would make its decision based on prior linguistic biases instead of what it is actually “seeing.” This would lead to algorithms having what researchers refer to as object hallucinations. Object hallucinations occur when an algorithmic model assumes an object like a table is in a photo because in previous images, someone with a laptop was always sitting at a table. In this instance, the model is unable to understand a situation where a person has a laptop on their lap instead of a table. This new model helps alleviate the object hallucination problem, thus making the model more reliable and trustworthy.

Chih-Yao MaChih-Yao Ma, a Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, envisions this model being used in situations like describing what happens in the scene as a technology to assist people who are visually impaired to overcome their real daily visual challenges. The model would be a good fit in such instances, because it can alleviate the linguistic bias and object hallucination issues in existing visual captioning models.

This work has been accepted to the European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), which takes place virtually August 23-28, 2020.

For more information on ML@GT at ECCV, visit our conference website.

Read the paper in full

Learning to Generate Grounded Visual Captions without Localization Supervision
Chih-Yao Ma, Yannis Kalantidis, Ghassan AlRegib, Peter Vajda, Marcus Rohrbach, Zsolt Kira
Georgia Tech, NAVER LABS Europe, Facebook




Allie McFadden is the communications officer for the Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech and the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech.
Allie McFadden is the communications officer for the Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech and the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech.

Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech




            AIhub is supported by:


Related posts :



Forthcoming machine learning and AI seminars: August 2025 edition

  19 Aug 2025
A list of free-to-attend AI-related seminars that are scheduled to take place between 19 August and 30 September 2025.
coffee corner

AIhub coffee corner: Agentic AI

  15 Aug 2025
The AIhub coffee corner captures the musings of AI experts over a short conversation.

New research could block AI models learning from your online content

  14 Aug 2025
The method protects images from being used to train AI or create deepfakes by adding invisible changes that confuse the technology.

What’s coming up at #IJCAI2025?

  13 Aug 2025
Find out what's on the programme at the forthcoming International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence.

Interview with Flávia Carvalhido: Responsible multimodal AI

  12 Aug 2025
We hear from PhD student Flávia about her research, what inspired her to study AI, and her experience at AAAI 2025.

Using AI to speed up landslide detection

  11 Aug 2025
Researchers are using AI to speed up landslide detection following major earthquakes and extreme rainfall events.

IJCAI in Canada: 90-second pitches from the next generation of AI researchers

  08 Aug 2025
Find out about some of the interesting research taking place across Canada.

AI for the ancient world: how a new machine learning system can help make sense of Latin inscriptions

  08 Aug 2025
System retrieves textual and contextual parallels, makes use of visual details, and can generate speculative text to fill gaps in inscriptions.



 

AIhub is supported by:






©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence