A mixed bag: AI and digital inclusion
Rather than thinking of AI technology as having a uniform effect across the entire accessibility process, we can better understand it as a mixture of relative strengths and weaknesses. In some areas the application of AI will be extremely useful and beneficial, whereas in others it will have a marginal impact, or even a negative impact.
| Relative strengths of AI technology |
|---|
| Improved automated audits increase the volume of pages which can be tested during an audit. |
| Automated tools can now identify a greater range of inaccessible elements. |
| Developers can accelerate the remediation process by adopting AI tools. |
| Relative weaknesses of AI technology |
|---|
| AI tools cannot be trusted to verify a digital platform without human oversight. |
| Only humans can identify and fix marginal issues. |
| Human testers are better positioned to understand the actual user experience. |
The benefits: Wider scans and faster remediations
AI tools are now allowing for basic accessibility issues to be identified at a larger scale than ever before. Automated accessibility testing is now more comprehensive, faster, and capable of scanning more pages. This increases the coverage of audits, and ensures that human auditors only engage in manual audits where necessary.
Once errors are identified within an existing platform, AI tools now increase the speed at which these can be remediated. Teams of developers and designers can now implement best-practice solutions on much tighter timelines.
The risks: Lack of oversight
It may be tempting to deploy AI aggressively when attempting to build a more inclusive website, but the reckless use of this technology may cause more issues than it solves. AI tools are still inadequate when verifying the accessibility of a finished website, and require human oversight at key stages of their work.
Importantly, only qualified humans can understand the nuanced goals of both your organisation and your customers. As such, only human testers can find and resolve the issues which slip through automated scans and affect real users.
Our advice for AI adoption
Whilst your organisation shouldn’t be scared of integrating AI tools into your accessibility projects, this technology should be handled with some caution
We would recommend using AI as a method to multiply the expertise and workload of human auditors and developers, and avoid using it as a standalone inclusion solution. If managed correctly, AI can reduce timelines, increase the level of conformance for your platform, and ensure an improved experience for each of your users.
Get in touch
To learn more about digital accessibility and AI, reach out to our expert team today.