WeCo Digital Accessibility

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Is AI the Silver Bullet of Accessibility?

Summary

AI has expanded into the digital accessibility industry. Automated AI accessibility testing is growing in popularity, but it isn't a replacement for manual accessibility testing done by testers living with disabilities.

AI and digital accessibility

In today’s technology-driven world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) constantly improves and expands into new industries. In fact, people commonly use AI as a tool in their everyday lives for things like checking the grammar of an email, unlocking phones through facial recognition software, or using a navigation app to find the fastest route to your destination. Because of its widespread use, it’s no surprise that AI has expanded to the digital accessibility industry.

But can AI determine entirely on its own, what users with disabilities need and want?  We’re skeptical.  Here’s why.

The text "Artificial Intelligence" overlaid on top of a silver bullet.

How AI can help accessibility

AI can be a useful tool for enhancing digital accessibility on websites, mobile apps, and software. For example, live virtual events can use automated captioning powered by AI as a budget-friendly alternative to hiring a captioner. Apps like Microsoft’s Seeing AI can be used by people who are blind to hear a description of what’s around them. When used alongside manual accessibility testing with users living with disabilities, automated AI accessibility auditing even has the potential to be a helpful addition to maintaining an accessible website.

AI and Leaving Out the User

While AI is helpful in some ways, it isn’t a replacement for human feedback.  For many of us living with disabilities, AI is a helpful convenience.  But it doesn’t mean that we want it to make our choices for us.  And in its present form, AI falls far short of being accurate and meeting our needs.

A few examples:

  • AI accessibility testing and remediation can be clunky and inaccurate, as well as biased by its limited data (see example below).
  • It only tests for a fraction of what’s required for accessibility by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Black and white spiraling staircase.
We used AI to generate alternative text for this image of a spiraling staircase.
Two boxes that display alt text. The alt text in the first box says "A roll of toilet paper." The alt text in the second box says "Black and white spiralling staircase."
These two boxes show two different AI interpretations of the image. The first description is “A roll of toilet paper,” which is very inaccurate. The second description is “Black and white spiralling staircase.” The second description more accurately describes the image, but the word “spiralling” is spelled using the British English spelling. This is not incorrect, and so this AI-generated text could potentially be approved. However, if your primary audience is located somewhere else, such as the United States, it would be better to change the spelling, such as the American English “spiraling.”

 

Relying solely on automated AI tools for digital accessibility will give you a website that is only partially accessible.  It will also reduce the usability of your project by leaving out the very people it intends to include.

Learn more about AI and accessibility

Mobile Accessibility and Inclusion

Accessibility Testing: Automated Vs. Human Testing

IAAP’s Stance on Accessibility Overlays