Description
Internick – Smart Alt Generator uses artificial intelligence to create descriptive,
SEO-friendly alt text for your WordPress images — improving accessibility
(WCAG) and search rankings.
Features:
- Native WordPress 7.0 AI Connectors support — no separate API key needed
- Bulk generator — process every image missing alt text at once
- Auto-generate on upload
- REST API endpoint for external tools and automation
- Generates alt text in your site’s language
On WordPress 6.x the plugin uses your OpenAI API key. On WordPress 7.0+ it
uses your configured AI Connectors automatically.
External services
This plugin connects to the OpenAI API to generate alt text for your images. It is
required for AI generation on WordPress 6.x sites that do not have the native
WordPress 7.0 AI Connectors configured.
When you click “Generate” (in the block editor, the Media Library, or the Bulk
generator) or “Test Connection” on the settings page, the plugin sends the image
(as a base64 data URI) and a short text instruction to OpenAI’s Chat Completions
endpoint (https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions), authenticated with the API
key you configure. The “Test Connection” button sends only a minimal “Hi” message
with no image, to verify the key works. Nothing is sent unless you trigger one of
these actions.
This service is provided by OpenAI. By using the OpenAI path you agree to their terms:
- Terms of Use: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use
- Privacy Policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy
On WordPress 7.0+ with AI Connectors configured, generation uses your site’s
configured AI provider through WordPress core instead, and this plugin makes no
direct external calls.
Development
The full, unminified source code — including the React/JavaScript sources under
src/ and the build tooling — is publicly available at:
https://github.com/internick2017/smart-alt-generator
Build the compiled assets in build/ with npm install && npm run build.
Screenshots


Installation
- Upload the plugin to
/wp-content/plugins/internick-smart-alt-generator. - Activate it through the Plugins screen.
- (WP 6.x only) Go to Settings -> AI Alt Text and enter your OpenAI API key.
- Go to Media -> Bulk Alt Text to process existing images.
FAQ
-
Do I need an OpenAI account?
-
Only on WordPress 6.x. On 7.0+ the plugin uses your AI Connectors configuration.
-
How much does generation cost?
-
With gpt-4o-mini, roughly $0.001 per image.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Internick – Smart Alt Generator” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate “Internick – Smart Alt Generator” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.1.2
- Hardened REST API permissions: per-attachment capability check on generation,
and the connection test is now restricted to administrators. - Documented the OpenAI external service and the public source repository.
- Renamed internal code prefixes for uniqueness (fresh install — no migration needed).
1.1.1
- React-powered Settings page with live Test Connection button.
- React-powered Bulk Generator with pause/resume and per-image result log.
- Fixed WP 7.0 AI Connectors integration: uses the correct AiClient API
(wp_ai_client() never existed; replaced with AiClient::prompt() fluent API). - Plugin renamed to Internick – Smart Alt Generator (slug: internick-smart-alt-generator).
1.1.0
- AI Alt Text panel moved to the Content tab in the Gutenberg block editor.
- Block editor script loading fixed for WordPress < 6.6.
- REST API endpoints for settings (GET/POST /smart-alt/v1/settings) and
connection test (GET /smart-alt/v1/test). - Alt text field now fills correctly in the Media Library modal.
1.0.1
- Images are now sent to the AI as base64 data URIs instead of public URLs, so
generation works on localhost, behind authentication, and on firewalled sites. - The Media Library button now shows the result (or the error message) inline.
1.0.0
- Initial release: settings, media button, bulk generator, REST API.
