AI is already playing a massive part in our lives; however, what role does artificial intelligence play in accessibility? Here, Mike Taylor, Senior Accessibility Analyst, Comms and Training Manager from the Digital Accessibility Centre explores
When did you last use artificial intelligence (AI), and for what? Was it to ask Siri about the weather, ask Alexa to make a purchase on your shopping list, or Chat GPT to write you an article? I haven’t tried that last one, but I use Siri and Alexa often.
AI is already playing a massive part in our lives. However, what is the role in terms of web and app accessibility?
Virtual assistants have been around for years now, and as a blind person, I use them and the assistive technology built into my phone and computer daily. Voiceover, which is built into all Apple devices and found within the settings and accessibility menus, helps blind people to access their device by announcing what is on the screen; users are then able to utilise a set of gestures to navigate and interact with content.
VoiceOver and growing the impact of artificial intelligence in accessibility
If activated, VoiceOver also has an additional feature that will attempt to describe the content of pictures and images. VoiceOver also tries to make apps more accessible if they are not by providing clear descriptions for buttons or tabs within an app that may otherwise be completely inaccessible.
I am a self-confessed geek, so I found this feature reasonably good in most instances where it’s used. Having said that, I have had to interpret things that the AI didn’t quite get correct, and sometimes use my own judgement when accessing a picture of a document rather than a fully accessible version.
Due to familiarity with VoiceOver, and partly because I can guess what the AI should have picked up in the document I received in one instance, I could figure out the content I was trying to access. Of course, this might not work for all users.
While AI is good, the feature I refer to needs to be switched on as it is an advanced VoiceOver feature; it takes a small amount of space on the user’s device and depends on the version of iOS and iPhone a user has access to, although most iPhones and iPads are supported.
Artificial intelligence in accessibility: User benefits
While AI is a hot topic of discussion currently, the benefits for users are realised from not only my example above but earlier enhancements in technology. AI in relation to Siri and Alexa, for example, have long enabled users to ask simple things of the software. Over recent years though and subsequent updates, it’s clear that just from the AI point of view alone, the increase in what can be achieved is moving forward at a considerable rate.
It has been possible for some time now for users to utilise Alexa to lock their doors and turn off lights and other things. However, over the past few years, AI has started to interpret content and deliver it to a user so they can access content they would otherwise not have access to previously.
AI’s potential in accessibility
While access to content is improving with the help of AI, I believe there is still much to learn for technology to interpret inaccessible content successfully for all users. I offer that statement given my example above; however, I also believe that AI is getting smarter, and it’s only a matter of time before we notice the full potential of the technology in this sector.
Machine learning is improving, and with it, so is the processing power of many computers. In short, who knows? One thing can be sure, though, the assistive technology I referred to earlier is more than just a clever bit of software; it’s already becoming a good support for content that doesn’t conform to digital accessibility standards.
AI: The bigger picture
While enhancements are mainly positive, we should also remember that currently, not everyone has or wants a smartphone; not everyone wants to use advanced software features or has the time to try and interpret content. In short, we all just want it to work. Equally, the technology cannot be relied upon alone to fix accessibility issues or to interpret content correctly all the time.
Technology and web content update so fast that assistive technology still needs to catch up, and constant analysis of apps and web content needs to take place to ensure information, goods, and services are accessible. Humans can do something which AI currently is not, which is to identify the many factors that cause barriers to digital content, how this affects users daily, and what solutions could be carried forward to make content accessible in the future.
