OpenAI has been testing its multimodal version of GPT-4 with image-recognition support prior to a planned wide release. However, public access is being curtailed due to concerns about its ability to potentially recognize specific individuals, according to a New York Times report on Tuesday.

Following the announcement, OpenAI took its image-processing abilities a step further in collaboration with a startup called Be My Eyes, which is developing an app to describe images to blind users, helping them interpret their surroundings and interact with the world more independently.

The New York Times report highlights the experiences of Jonathan Mosen, a blind user of Be My Eyes from New Zealand. Mosen has enjoyed using the app to identify items in a hotel room, like shampoo dispensers, and to accurately interpret images on social media. However, Mosen expressed disappointment when the app recently stopped providing facial information, displaying a message that faces had been obscured for privacy reasons.