AI and accessibility: How smarter tools are making the web more inclusive

For years, accessibility has been treated as a compliance exercise, a checklist to tick off at the end of a project. But digital accessibility isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a moral obligation, a legal requirement, and increasingly, a commercial advantage. And now, AI is stepping in to help.

Smarter AI tools are speeding up accessibility audits, flagging issues earlier, and making inclusivity part of the design process from day one.

The result? Websites that don’t just meet standards or reach new customers, but genuinely welcome every user whilst building trust, loyalty and a stronger brand in the process.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• Where AI helps accessibility
• AI-driven audits and faster compliance with WCAG 2.1
• Why accessibility is more than a box tick
• What AI can’t do

AI is transforming accessibility from a reactive process into a proactive one. Instead of finding problems after a site goes live, AI tools can identify barriers early on. By automating technical checks and offering real-time feedback, they’re helping teams build more inclusive websites faster without compromising creativity or quality. Here are some ways AI is having a positive impact on inclusivity.

1. Personalised user experiences

AI can adapt content and interfaces in real time, adjusting text size, colour contrast, or layout based on individual user preferences or needs. For example, users with low vision can automatically get high-contrast mode, or those with dyslexia can switch to more readable fonts. Recent studies highlight how adaptive interfaces powered by AI can significantly improve usability for people with visual and cognitive impairments.

2. Voice and conversational interfaces
AI-powered speech recognition and natural-language tools make digital spaces more accessible for users who rely on voice commands or screen readers. Tools like Microsoft’s Seeing AI or Google’s Voice Access improve independence for people with mobility or visual impairments.

3. Automated captioning and transcription
AI can instantly generate captions and transcripts for videos, webinars, and podcasts, improving accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing users and supporting multilingual audiences.

4. AI-driven audits
Modern AI tools can automatically scan websites for compliance issues, checking contrast ratios, missing alt text, broken ARIA labels, and poor heading structures. What once took hours of manual review can now be identified in seconds, allowing teams to fix barriers early and design more inclusive experiences from the start.

5. Real-time recommendations
Some AI systems can flag accessibility problems as you design, from colour contrast warnings to dynamic keyboard navigation checks. This brings accessibility into the creative process instead of leaving it as an afterthought.

Modern AI tools are transforming how accessibility is managed, turning what used to be lengthy, manual reviews into fast, intelligent checks. These systems can automatically scan websites for a wide range of accessibility issues, from colour contrast and missing alt text to broken ARIA labels and unclear heading structures.

According to WebAIM’s 2025 Web Accessibility Report, over 95% of the world’s top one million websites still fail basic WCAG standards, a gap AI-driven audits are helping to close.

AI also assists in aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) by:

• Automating contrast and readability checks.
• Highlighting missing semantic tags or ARIA roles.
• Suggesting improvements that align with WCAG criteria.

Instead of waiting for a costly accessibility review at the end, teams can build with compliance in mind from the beginning, saving time and reducing risk.

Accessibility isn’t just about avoiding lawsuits or ticking regulatory boxes, it’s about designing with empathy and intention. The World Health Organisation reports, over 1 billion people globally live with some form of disability. Regardless of ability, every user deserves equal access to information, products, and services. Building accessible websites means recognising that digital inclusion is a matter of ethics as much as design.

It’s also good business. Inclusive websites reach wider audiences, build loyalty, and perform better in search. Search engines increasingly prioritise technically sound and user-friendly sites for all, making accessibility a natural part of SEO performance. A website that’s easier for everyone to use also converts better, ranks higher, and creates a stronger return on investment.

Beyond performance, accessibility shapes reputation. Brands that design for all users send a clear signal that they care about people, equality, and doing things the right way. Audiences remember that.

AI can catch errors, but it can’t capture empathy. Machines can scan for missing metadata or measure colour contrast ratios. Still, they don’t understand the frustration of a form that’s hard to navigate with one hand or the impact of wording that doesn’t include everyone.

True inclusivity means designing with human experiences in mind. That’s where humans still lead:

• Crafting language that is respectful and inclusive.
• Making design choices that consider edge cases AI might miss.
• Embedding empathy and storytelling into the brand experience.

AI might flag that a video is missing captions, but it takes a human to make sure those captions reflect tone, nuance, and cultural understanding. The best accessibility happens when technology and humanity work together.

AI is making accessibility faster, easier, and more achievable. But technology alone won’t make the web inclusive. The most successful brands will use AI to automate the routine checks while leaving the judgement, empathy, and creativity to humans.

At Rouge, inclusivity is an ethical responsibility and a commercial advantage. AI helps us move quickly, but people ensure the experience is meaningful.

Do you have a project you need help with? Contact us today.