As a digital developer, there’s no doubt that AI tools have accelerated how I design, build, test and launch digital experiences for our clients. But what excites me most isn’t just speed – it’s how these tools can transform how we interact with the web itself. 

Websites as we know them today are relatively static. They’re carefully designed pages that every visitor experiences in the same way. The next generation of the web will be much more fluid, creating dynamic environments that change based on who you are and what you need. 

Key to delivering that shift is accessible design.

Accessibility: Great for people and your brand‍

According to the WebAIM Million Report, about 95% of the world’s most visited homepages contain detectable accessibility failures, making it one of the internet’s largest design challenges…and opportunities.

For brands, building accessibility into digital foundations is a win-win. It improves AI search results and strengthens website performance while signaling to customers that you care about the experience they have. The result? More brand credibility, trust and loyalty.

AI tools can help us close the gap in accessibility, but only if we use them thoughtfully. From my perspective as a developer, there are four guiding principles brands should follow as they build more inclusive digital experiences.

1. Automate the baseline‍

AI is dramatically accelerating accessible design by tackling tasks that have historically slowed teams down.

Large language models (LLMs) help integrate accessibility into the coding process before content generation even begins. For example, AI code assistants help developers build accessible features that are notoriously time-consuming to get right, like a fully customised dropdown menu that works for mouse, keyboard and voice users alike.

LLMs can also analyse images and surrounding page content to generate context-aware alt text that’s actually meaningful instead of an empty placeholder like “Image1.jpg”.

These tools help teams align with standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the start, making accessibility part of the foundation of a digital experience rather than something applied at the final stage.

That shift matters. When the basics are automated, designers and developers can spend more time focusing on the human side of accessibility, creating experiences that truly work for everyone.‍

2. Avoid shortcuts‍

While intentions may be good, not all AI-driven accessibility solutions improve outcomes.

If you’ve researched accessibility tools recently, you’ve probably encountered AI overlays. These products add a JavaScript widget or toolbar on top of a website and claim to automatically fix accessibility problems.

In reality, overlays typically address only a small percentage of WCAG failures. They also fail to correct the underlying structure of a website, where true accessibility lives. Some accessibility experts even refer to overlays as “accessibility theatre”, creating the appearance of inclusion without addressing the root problems.

From a brand perspective, relying on quick fixes like overlays can backfire. Poor accessibility experiences frustrate users, slow site performance and can even introduce legal risk under regulations like the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The lesson is simple: accessibility can’t be layered on after the fact. It has to be built into the architecture of the experience itself.

‍3. Design for adaptation‍

Where AI becomes truly exciting is not just in fixing accessibility problems, but in reimagining what accessible digital experiences can look like.

On the agentic web, systems can adapt to individual users in real time. If accessibility is built into the foundation of these systems, the possibilities expand dramatically.

Imagine a website that detects a user struggling with fine motor control. Using dynamic UI, the site can automatically increase button hit areas or simplify complex navigation and multi-step forms.

Or, imagine a site with built-in cognitive support tools. The site can summarise content, simplify vocabulary or explain unfamiliar concepts for users with learning disabilities, limited literacy or who are reading in a second language.

The way I see it, we’re no longer building a single website.

We’re building a flexible digital framework that reshapes itself for the individual, where accessibility isn’t a constraint but an even bigger design advantage. 

‍4. Keep humans in the loop‍

For all their promise, AI tools do introduce new challenges. 

Accessibility requires accuracy, but AI is probabilistic. It can misinterpret images, misunderstand cultural context or reflect biases present in its training data, excluding the very users accessibility aims to support.

That’s why human oversight remains essential.

AI can scale accessibility work, but it can’t replace the empathy required to understand how people experience technology.

The most effective teams will use AI as a collaborator, automating repetitive tasks while keeping human designers, developers and accessibility advocates at the centre of the process.

‍The web we should be building‍

When used responsibly, the real opportunity with AI isn’t simply fixing broken websites faster.

It’s building a digital ecosystem where accessibility is part of the framework from the start. Where interfaces adapt to users, barriers disappear earlier in the design process and inclusion is built into the code itself.

As the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, once said: “The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”

The teams that get this right won’t just make their websites more accessible.

They’ll help define what the next generation of the web looks like.

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Build a brand that cuts through in an AI world. Look out for more insights and opinions from The Prompt, or get in touch for a conversation about your challenges.