Recently, Altbot has been targeted by DDoS attacks. While the motive is unclear, it seems tied to a misguided belief that the bot’s alt-text generation is harmful to the environment. Let me set the record straight.
Altbot uses Gemini-1.5-flash, a specifically low-power AI model. Processing a single alt-text request consumes around 0.0005 kWh, meaning that in the 4 months since I created Altbot—and tens of thousands of alt-text entries generated—it has consumed roughly 10 kWh in total. That’s about the same energy as running a single LED light bulb nonstop for 41 days or driving an electric car just 40 miles.
These DDoS attacks, however, have already consumed more electricity and computing power than Altbot has across its entire existence... in a matter of hours. This means the attacks have caused more environmental harm than the very thing they seem to be protesting.
Altbot exists to improve accessibility on Mastodon, not to harm the environment. Accessibility and sustainability can coexist, and I’m committed to keeping Altbot energy-efficient and purposeful.
If there are concerns, I encourage constructive dialogue—not destructive actions that undermine both inclusivity and sustainability.
Thank you to everyone supporting Altbot’s mission of making the Fediverse more accessible for all.
lily 
θΔ ⋐ & ∞ @tauon@possum.city@zebo@akkoma.kawaiizenbo.me @Li@tech.lgbt yeah like its lit more effort to use the bot lmao
@tauon @Li @zebo The Alt4You and Alt4Me tags exist because alt text is itself sometimes an accessibility issue. Mastodon is exceedingly hostile when it comes to alt text and some people find the prospect draining or anxiety-inducing. If you just spent 7 hours on an art piece, especially with a disability (art is in some cases the only thing people with certain disabilities can DO for a living), the prospect of posting it and having to come up with alt text can just be the straw that broke the camel's back. "It takes like 30 seconds" doesn't apply to everyone, either. Visual artists are not always writers and the task can be daunting. People legit sometimes have no idea what to write. There's no guide to it.
And not everyone even knows about Alt4Me. People are often surprised and thankful when I tell them about it because they've only ever been scolded. Here everyone is giving them a complex that makes doing it even freaking harder and they didn't know they could outsource it.
It's all accessibility.