The image is basically there to be decorative. In that scenario, an empty alt attribute is used to inform assistive technology that yes, there is an image here

The image is basically there to be decorative. In that scenario, an empty alt attribute is used to inform assistive technology that yes, there is an image here, but it isn't adding any further information. It's actually one of the main things that MAWD helps with right now. Putting alt text on all the images of random cats on a website only adds value to people if the cats are at all relevant to the content :) https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20161007/H67 https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20161007/H67