How to create diagrams from images with artificial intelligence

Have you ever taken a picture of a whiteboard and then not understood anything? Or downloaded an amazing infographic… but you don’t know where to start studying it?

Now, artificial intelligence allows you to convert a simple image into a clear, orderly and easy to study outline. Magic? No. Technology.

One of the most interesting applications of artificial intelligence (AI) is precisely that: creating outlines from an image.

An outline is a hierarchical and organized representation of key ideas. When we speak of an “outline of an image”, we refer to the extraction of relevant information from visual content such as diagrams, infographics, concept maps, whiteboards or slides.

Instead of simply reading the text, this technique allows you to visually interpret a content structure and reorganize it in a schematic textual format

By combining computer vision and natural language processing (NLP) technologies, AI systems can analyze the components of an image, identify patterns, recognize text and associate it into a logical structure.

• This process can include:
• Detection of blocks of text.
• Identification of hierarchical relationships.
• Classification by sections or topics.
• Automatic summary of detected content.

• Education: students photographing the blackboard or notes and then generating comprehensible diagrams.
• Research: interpreting scientific graphs or visual maps.
• Work: extracting ideas from presentations or organizational diagrams.
• Journalism: analyzing infographics for reports or articles.

AI-generated image outlines have uses in different contexts:

• Take clear, well-lit photos
  Avoid shadows, blurriness, or cropped text.
• Make sure the image has structure
  Arrows, titles, boxes… anything that helps the AI understand the hierarchy.
• Use legible fonts if you digitize content
  The AI still has difficulty with some handwritten letters.
• Always check the final result
  Although the AI is powerful, you have the final criteria. Edit if necessary.

• Time saving: converts a complex image into a structured summary in seconds.
• Accessibility: allows people with visual or cognitive difficulties to access visual information.
• Study automation: facilitates the creation of review or quick comprehension materials.