American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Summer 2025 TRAVEL
Can AI Provide Walking Directions for Blind Travelers?
by Jonathan Mosen
From the Editor: Artificial intelligence (AI) offers some amazing new possibilities for blind and sighted people alike. But can it provide accurate walking directions useful to blind pedestrians? Jonathan Mosen, who hosts the Federation’s Access Onpodcast, conducted an interesting investigation, prompted by a question from one of his listeners. Here is what he shared with his audience.
JONATHAN MOSEN: Rick Roderick from Louisville, Kentucky, sent me an email. He writes, “I wonder if there is an app or AI that can give me the detailed walking directions that I want. I want to walk from my house to Bristol Bar and Grill on Barnstown Road. Many apps will give the distance and turn-by-turn directions, but they won’t tell me which streets I will need to cross to get there. Other information would also be helpful. Which intersections have traffic lights? Will I encounter any stretches that don’t have sidewalks? I want all this information before I undertake the trip. Any recommendations?”
All right, let’s give this a try and bring ChatGPT into the conversation.
Welcome back to the Access On podcast from the National Federation of the Blind!
ChatGPT: Hey Rick, thanks for having me back on! Always a pleasure.
JONATHAN MOSEN: Okay, you can call me Rick. I’ve been called worse. This is what I want you to do, if you would. Can you give me detailed walking directions suitable for my use as a blind person—I want all the details of the route. I want to walk from the National Federation of the Blind on East Wells Street to Blue Moon Two Café on Cross Street. I want you to describe the route for me, including all the streets I will walk on, all the streets I will cross, and whether the street has traffic lights at the intersection or not. And please tell me whether there is any part of the route that doesn’t have sidewalks.
ChatGPT: Jonathan, to walk from the National Federation of the Blind on Wells Street to Blue Moon Two Café on Cross Street, exit the NFB building and turn right. Proceed to the intersection with Pratt Street. Cross Pratt Street and continue straight on Cross Street until you reach the café. This route is approximately 0.5 miles. It should take about ten minutes.
JONATHAN MOSEN: So do I have to cross any streets?
ChatGPT: Yes, you’ll need to cross Pratt Street. There’s a traffic light at the intersection, which should help with crossing safely. The rest of the route should be straightforward, with sidewalks all the way.
JONATHAN MOSEN: I checked those directions out with people who know more about Baltimore than I do, and I was told that that is a hallucination. Those directions are not going to get me to where I want to go. So I think we can say that, for a task like this, you cannot rely upon ChatGPT to give you this sort of direction.
Let’s see whether Google Gemini will do a similar thing. Hello, Gemini!
GEMINI: Hello. It’s great to meet you. What can I do for you today?
JONATHAN MOSEN: Welcome to the Access On podcast from the National Federation of the Blind.
GEMINI: Oh, that’s exciting! Are you looking for a specific episode, or did you want to know more about the podcast itself?
JONATHAN MOSEN: I’m actually hosting the podcast right now myself, and you are on it.
GEMINI: Wow! That’s fantastic! Congratulations on hosting the podcast. What’s the focus of this particular episode? I’m really curious to hear more about it.
JONATHAN MOSEN: What I’d like to see is whether you can help me with a query. I want you please to give me detailed walking directions suitable for me as a blind person. I want to know all details of the route. I want to walk from the National Federation of the Blind on East Wells Street to Blue Moon Two Café on Cross Street. I’d like you to describe the route for me, including all the streets I will walk on, all the streets I will cross, and whether the street has traffic lights at the intersection or not. And please tell me whether any part of the route doesn’t have sidewalks.
GEMINI: I can’t access real time information, including information about walking routes. For walking directions and navigation, you can use Google Maps or other map services.
JONATHAN MOSEN: That was very unhelpful, wasn’t it! So Google Gemini can’t help with this at all, and ChatGPT gave it a shot. Let’s talk about Grok, which is a pretty interesting AI. This is the one from X AI. It’s a bit expensive to get the premium service. We’ll see what it can do. Hello there, Grok! How are you?
GROK: I’m doing great! Thanks for asking! Just chillin’ in the digital realm, ready to answer your questions with a bit of sass and a lot of smarts. What’s on your mind this morning?
JONATHAN MOSEN: First I’d like to welcome you to the Access On podcast from the National Federation of the Blind, where you are live!
GROK: Oh wow! I’m thrilled to be here on the Access On podcast with the National Federation of the Blind. Thanks for the warm welcome. So, what’s the vibe today? Ready to dive into some tech talk, or is there something else entirely?
JONATHAN MOSEN: I want you to give me detailed walking directions suitable for me as a blind person wanting to know all the details of the route. I want to walk from the National Federation of the Blind on East Wells Street to Blue Moon Two Café on Cross Street. Describe the route for me, including all the streets that I will walk on, all the streets I will cross, and whether the street has traffic lights at the intersection or not. And please tell me if there is any part of the route that doesn’t have sidewalks.
GROK: All right! Let’s get you from the National Federation of the Blind at 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, to Blue Moon Two Café on Cross Street. I’m going to walk you through this step by step, tailored for you as a blind traveler, with all the streets, crossings, traffic light details, and sidewalk info.
Since I don’t have real-time access to every detail about Baltimore sidewalks or intersections, I’ll base this on typical urban navigation and standard accessibility features. If anything is unclear let me know, and I can refine it.
Starting at the National Federation of the Blind, you’ll exit the building onto East Wells Street, facing roughly west. Sidewalks are present here, as this is a developed urban area. You’ll head west along the south side of the sidewalk on East Wells Street. Use your cane or guide dog to follow the tactile edge of the sidewalk, listening for traffic on your right to stay oriented. East Wells is a quieter street, but stay alert for any driveway cuts or uneven pavement.
After about one block you’ll reach the intersection of East Wells Street and South Calvert Street. This is a signalized intersection with traffic lights. You’ll hear the flow of traffic on Calvert, which runs north-south. Wait for the audible pedestrian signal, often a chirping or beeping sound, indicating it’s safe to cross.
These signals might also vibrate if you locate the push button, typically on the pole to your right.
Cross South Calvert Street, keeping straight to stay on East Wells. Check for tactile paving to guide you onto the crosswalk. The crossing should take about ten to fifteen seconds at a steady pace.
Once across, you’re still on East Wells Street, continuing west on the sidewalk. Sidewalks remain consistent here, with no gaps, based on standard city layouts.
After another block you’ll hit the intersection of East Wells Street and South Caroline Street. This is also a signalized intersection with traffic lights. Listen for the traffic pattern. Caroline runs north-south, and you’ll hear vehicles stopping or moving parallel to your path. Find the tactile paving and audible signal to cross South Caroline Street. The crossing is similar in length to Calvert, so expect another ten to fifteen seconds.
After crossing, keep going west on East Wells Street sidewalk. You’re now approaching a slightly busier area, so traffic noise on your right will be steady. After two more blocks East Wells ends at South President Street. This intersection has traffic lights, as President is a major north-south road. You’ll cross South President Street, again using the audible signal and tactile paving. This crossing might feel wider, closer to twenty seconds, since President is a broader street. Pay attention to turning vehicles, as this area can have more traffic.
Once across, East Wells becomes West Wells Street, and you’ll continue west on the sidewalk. Sidewalks are continuous here, no gaps expected in this downtown stretch.
After one block you’ll reach South Charles Street, another signalized intersection. Charles is busy, with clear traffic light cycles. Cross South Charles Street, using the audible signal, which might include a voice or distinct beep. Tactile paving should guide you. This crossing is about fifteen seconds.
Now on West Wells Street, keep walking west. After a few more blocks, roughly three, you’ll reach South Hanover Street. This intersection has traffic lights, and you’ll cross Hanover, a north-south street. The audible signal and tactile paving will help, and the crossing is standard, around fifteen seconds. Stay alert for pedestrians, as this area might have more foot traffic.
After crossing Hanover, continue west on West Wells Street. You’re getting closer now. After about two more blocks West Wells Street merges into West Baltimore Street for a short stretch. The sidewalk remains intact, no interruptions. Follow West Baltimore Street west until you hit South Utah Street, a signalized intersection with traffic lights. Cross South Utah Street, using the audible signal and tactile paving, another fifteen-second crossing.
Once across, you’re back on West Wells Street briefly, but you’ll soon need to turn left onto South Ponca Street. This is a signalized intersection, too, so listen for the traffic shift. Turn left and head south on Ponca sidewalk, which is continuous. After about two blocks you’ll reach West Pratt Street. Cross Pratt at the signalized intersection, using the audible signal. Pratt is a busy street, so the crossing might take twenty seconds.
Now on South Ponca Street, keep going south for another block until you hit West Cross Street. This intersection has traffic lights. You won’t cross Cross, but turn right to head west on Cross Street sidewalk.
Sidewalks are present throughout. Follow Cross Street west for about three blocks. You’ll pass South Charles Street and South Hanover Street again, both signalized crossings if you need landmarks, but you’re staying on Cross. After those blocks you’ll reach the area near 1036 So. Cross Street, where Blue Moon Two Café is located. The sidewalk should lead you right to the entrance. Listen for café sounds: people chatting, dishes clinking, to confirm you’re there.
Quick recap: you’ll walk on East Wells, West Wells, briefly West Baltimore, South Ponca, and West Cross Street. Crossings are South Calvert, South Caroline, South President, South Charles, South Hanover, South Utah, West Pratt, all with traffic lights and audible signals. Sidewalks are continuous throughout. Based on Baltimore’s Urban Setup, total distance is about a mile, maybe twenty to thirty minutes, depending on your pace.
Anything you want me to doublecheck or zoom in on for this route?
JONATHAN MOSEN: That was very thorough. Thank you for your help.
GROK: You’re so welcome! Glad I could lay out all the details for you. If you need another route mapped out, or anything else, just give me a shout. Safe travels to Blue Moon Two Café.
JONATHAN MOSEN: Well, yes. But the trouble is that if you followed that route you wouldn’t get there, according to experts here who know far more about Baltimore than I do. I ran this past a couple of blind people who are very good with the streets of Baltimore, and they told me that those directions were way, way off. That’s actually a compelling example of a hallucination, of AI sounding incredibly plausible and giving you an answer that makes no sense. So I think the answer here is that you don’t want to rely on these large language models for this particular task.
Maybe others have some ideas about GPS apps they’re using, where, as a blind person, you can sit in the comfort of your home and really get a good feel for the route that you will take before you take it. There are explore modes on several of these GPS apps, some of them mainstream and some of them not. If you have any thoughts on this, [email protected] is how you can get in touch.