Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly contribute to web accessibility, as initial use cases show.

Like many European legislative initiatives, the regulation for accessible internet has a long history. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into effect in June 2019, requiring member states to enact corresponding national laws by June 2022. Germany's Bundestag passed this law in June 2021, and it will fully take effect on June 28, 2025. The so-called Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) aims to ensure that people with physical disabilities, visual impairments, hearing loss, or speech difficulties can use the internet without problems. "A website is accessible when limitations in seeing, hearing, moving, or processing information do not negatively affect how we use the web," states Aktion Mensch.

This nonprofit organization has advocated for everyday accessibility for decades, including digital offerings. Recently, Aktion Mensch, in collaboration with Google, tested the accessibility of Germany's most visited online shops. They checked if a site is navigable by keyboard if form fields are clearly labeled, if multimedia content is captioned, and if the font size can be adjusted. The sobering result: 75 percent of the shops tested were not accessible. The test report highlights some positive examples, such as dm, Ikea, Wayfair, and Toom. It points out that, generally, an accessible digital offering improves the overall quality of a website. In other words, accessibility significantly enhances the customer experience.

There are numerous online tools to check the accessibility of your website. Aktion Mensch has published a checklist to provide an initial approach to the topic. Google Lighthouse is a tool that can also check "Accessibility Essentials" like contrast, font size, and labels. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the German government, offer a detailed insight and outline of the four principles of accessibility: permeability, operability, understandability, and robustness.

AI as a Helpful Tool

A novel approach to raising awareness of the topic has been developed by the digital agency denkwerk. Instead of launching another accessibility testing tool that decision-makers might not understand due to technical jargon, they chose an empathetic approach. Denkwerk created the personas Claudia and Cosmo, representing people with visual or motor impairments who test any website entered into the search bar. "The result is not a technical error report but an empathy report from the perspective of real people using the sites and experiencing frustrations when encountering problems," explains Managing Partner Marco Zingler.

This award-winning tool is based on Generative AI, illustrating how AI can effectively raise awareness of the issue. However, it is not the only way AI advances this cause. The Council for Information Infrastructures (RfII) highlighted the benefits in its 2022 report "Artificial Intelligence and Inclusion." The report states, "Artificial intelligence is a helpful tool, especially to make digital products and services more accessible to more people." Examples include the automatic generation of alternative text for images or video subtitles and recognizing individual speech patterns, such as in voice-assisted online shopping. Chatbots can also function as personal assistants, providing context-sensitive help and explanations to users with disabilities, making it easier to understand content.

Using conversational AI could not only contribute to accessibility but also generally enhance the customer experience in online shopping. Frontnow Advisor also offers buyers an innovative way to search for products using voice input, similar to the Trip Finder on the BLS website.

This feature significantly reduces the overall search time and enhances the shopping experience with the support of an AI-powered voice assistant. The Frontnow Advisor enables people with disabilities to search for desired products independently and efficiently without relying on traditional search methods. This is an essential step toward a more inclusive and accessible digital world where technology breaks down barriers and benefits all users equally.

Plain Language in Turbulent Times

A different practical application is pursued by the consulting firm Capgemini. In a blog post, Senior Manager Michael Ernst describes how simple, straightforward language can help people with reading difficulties or those with a migration background access texts on government or administrative websites. Capgemini collaborates with the Munich-based startup Summ AI, which positions itself in the market with a service akin to Google Translate, converting complex texts into simple language. Especially in turbulent times marked by war and disinformation campaigns, communicated information is crucial, as stated in a company presentation by Summ AI. They aim to contribute to this cause.