AI-Driven Accessibility: Hype vs. Reality

AI is everywhere—powering self-driving cars, filtering spam emails, and even generating images out of thin air. Naturally, it has found its way into web accessibility, promising to make websites easier to navigate for people with disabilities.

At first glance, AI-driven accessibility seems like a game-changer. A tool that scans a website, detects issues, and applies fixes in real-time—no costly audits, no manual updates. The promise is enticing: instant compliance, a better user experience, and minimal effort. For businesses seeking a quick fix, it sounds like the perfect solution.

But is it really that simple, or is it just hype?

The Hype of AI-Driven Accessibility

AI accessibility solutions are marketed as a fast and effortless way to make websites compliant with accessibility laws and more user-friendly for people with disabilities. These tools use machine learning and automation to scan websites for accessibility issues, detect missing alt text, adjust contrast, and improve keyboard navigation. The idea is that AI can take the burden off businesses, making accessibility seamless and automatic.

Companies selling AI accessibility promise a range of benefits:

Instant fixes for common accessibility issues like alt text, contrast adjustments, and heading structure corrections.
Enhanced user experience, with real-time captions, AI-generated image descriptions, and improved navigation.
Time and cost savings, reducing the need for expensive audits and manual accessibility updates.

Some AI tools even claim to predict user needs and adjust websites dynamically, removing barriers before they become a problem. The pitch is simple: AI makes accessibility compliance quick, cost-effective, and easy.

But can it actually deliver?

The Reality: Limitations and Challenges

AI-driven accessibility tools aren’t the magic solution they claim to be. In many cases, they fail to address deeper accessibility issues and even create new barriers. Here’s why:

1. AI-driven Accessibility is Superficial

While AI can generate alt text, it often provides vague or inaccurate descriptions. A picture of a service dog might be labeled as “dog” with no context, leaving a blind user without crucial details. Infographics and charts? AI struggles with those too, often giving meaningless labels instead of useful explanations.

Automated contrast adjustments and heading restructuring may technically meet compliance guidelines, but that doesn’t mean they work in real-world use. These fixes can break website layouts, confuse users, and sometimes even make navigation worse rather than better.

2. AI Can Introduce New Barriers

AI tools often interfere with how people with disabilities already navigate the web. Screen reader users, for example, may encounter misplaced labels, incorrect headings, or navigation menus that suddenly stop working. Some AI tools even override user settings, blocking assistive technology that people rely on.

Overlays—those AI-powered add-ons that promise “instant accessibility”—are particularly notorious for making things worse. Instead of removing barriers, they often add unnecessary complexity, frustrating users rather than helping them.

3. AI-driven Accessibility Misses Barriers

Studies show that AI can only detect 20-30% of accessibility barriers, meaning that websites relying solely on AI remain 70-80% inaccessible. Many critical accessibility issues require human judgment and testing—something AI simply cannot replicate.

At 216digital, we have seen a sharp rise in lawsuits targeting screen reader-related issues that AI fails to detect. These include missing ARIA labels, poor keyboard navigation, and dynamic elements that don’t update correctly for assistive technology users. Businesses that trust AI for compliance often realize too late that their sites remain inaccessible and legally vulnerable.

4. False Sense of Compliance

Many businesses assume that adding an AI overlay or accessibility widget makes their website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But compliance is about actual usability—not just ticking a box.

In 2024 alone, 1,023 companies using AI overlays were sued for accessibility violations according to Useablnet’s 2024 End of the Year Report. The reality is that these tools do not make a site fully accessible; they often only mask deeper issues. Lawsuits and regulatory actions continue to prove that true accessibility requires meaningful fixes, not just automated patches.

Case Studies and Real-World Examples

Many companies have learned the hard way that AI-driven accessibility doesn’t work.

1. The Failure of AI-driven Accessibility

One of the biggest offenders? accessiBe—an AI overlay that promises instant accessibility. Thousands of users with disabilities have reported that it makes websites harder to use, not easier. These overlays don’t fix the real problems; they just add a layer of automated code that interferes with assistive technology.

2. Frustrated Users Speak Out

A New York Times article, For Blind Internet Users, the Fix Can Be Worse Than the Flaws, highlighted how AI-driven overlays create more frustration than solutions. Blind advocate Mr. Perdue put it plainly: “I’ve not yet found a single one that makes my life better. I spend more time working around these overlays than I actually do navigating the website.”

This isn’t just one person’s experience—over 862 accessibility advocates and developers have signed an open letter urging businesses to stop using these flawed AI solutions. Even the National Federation of the Blind has condemned AI-driven accessibility tools, calling them inadequate and ineffective.

3. The Legal Consequences

If the ethical concerns don’t scare businesses away, the lawsuits should. In 2024 alone, 1,023 companies were sued for relying on AI-driven overlays instead of making genuine accessibility improvements.

Recently, major compliance agreements have begun explicitly stating that AI-driven overlays do not meet accessibility standards. Companies using tools like AudioEye, accessiBe, and Accessibility Spark are at higher risk of lawsuits than those making real accessibility changes.

The Necessity of Human Oversight

If AI isn’t the solution, what is? People.

1. Accessibility Experts Know What AI Doesn’t

Human experts understand accessibility in a way AI never will. They know how people actually use websites, what works, and what doesn’t. They can ensure websites are genuinely accessible—not just compliant on paper.

2. AI and Humans Can Work Together

AI isn’t completely useless, but it needs to be used as a tool, not a crutch. Real people need to review, test, and implement fixes.

3. Accessibility is an Ongoing Process

Web accessibility isn’t something you fix once and forget. It requires regular monitoring and updates. That’s where a11y.Radar from 216digital comes in—it provides continuous accessibility monitoring to keep websites truly usable for everyone.

The Future of AI-driven Accessibility

AI is improving, but it’s nowhere near ready to handle accessibility on its own. Moving forward, we need:

Better AI training that includes input from people with disabilities.
Stronger regulations to ensure AI tools don’t create new barriers.
More user involvement so that AI tools are built with real-world accessibility needs in mind.

Conclusion

AI-driven accessibility tools might sound appealing, but they’re not the answer. Automated solutions—especially overlays—often create more problems than they solve. If businesses truly care about accessibility, they need to invest in real solutions that actually work.

The bottom line? AI can assist, but human expertise is irreplaceable.

Want accessibility done right? Schedule an ADA briefing with 216digital today and get a roadmap to real, lasting accessibility.