Artificial intelligence resource hub
AI has the power to accelerate accessibility, or amplify exclusion
Explore insights, research, and expert voices on how to keep AI product momentum strong, without compromising inclusivity.
The speed-usability trade off
Companies everywhere are racing to integrate AI into their products, believing it’ll make user experiences smarter, faster, and more personalized. But AI doesn’t follow instructions: it learns from data and patterns that reflect the parameters of the people and perspectives that create them.
Without validation from people with disabilities, AI-powered products can amplify bias instead of improving experiences. In the rush to be first to market, companies risk leaving both people and profits behind.
Equitable AI starts with inclusion
Dr. Jutta Treviranus, a leader in inclusive design, believes that by involving people with disabilities in every stage of the AI ecosystem, from design to education, we can build technology that’s fair, transparent, and works for everyone.
Source: WebAble TV. Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence, Jutta Treviranus, PhD.
How AI excludes people
AI reflects the data it’s trained on. When people with disabilities aren’t represented in that data, bias gets built in. Accessibility becomes an exception instead of an expectation — and the result is technology that doesn’t serve everyone equally. Think…
Products validated by people with disabilities don’t just work better, they earn trust faster across user segments. Features that work well for people with disabilities help reduce friction and complexity for all. AI can unlock these opportunities at scale if it’s trained and validated on the full spectrum of human experience.
Untested perceptions put progress at risk
Three common assumptions about AI and accessibility can create risk where teams expect reward.
Perception 1: We’ll fall behind if we don’t move fast with AI.
Reality: Slowing down a little helps you move faster in the end.
AI product roadmaps often hinge on assumptions. Human validation ensures those assumptions are tested against real-world experience, reducing wasted cycles and catching usability gaps before launch.
Perception 2: Designing for the “average” user will be most profitable.
Reality: People with disabilities represent a trillion-dollar consumer market.
When you consider people with disabilities, you tap into a highly loyal group of customers. If you get your product wrong, rebuilding trust is a huge lift.
Perception 3: We use automated tools to check for accessibility. We’re covered!
Reality: Being compliant doesn’t make your product usable.
A product can meet every WCAG rule and still be inaccessible to people using assistive technology.
Your AI product can be compliant and still get a human rights violation. The EU AI Act and other global accessibility mandates are raising the bar.
It’s estimated that nearly 5,000 website accessibility lawsuits will be filed in the US in 2025. Validation with people with disabilities is quickly shifting to a compliance requirement.
Fable bridges the gap between “fast” and “right”
The AI “ship fast, fix later” mentality is doing companies a disservice. Teams that take a thoughtful approach to embedding continuous, real-world human validation today will own the future of AI-enabled products tomorrow.
Fable has the experience and tools to get you there.
