Any company thinking about new digital transformation projects today will likely include accessibility in that thought process. While this wasn’t always the case, there is now a general acceptance that accessibility helps companies broaden their reach.
For example, in Europe, almost one in four people have a disability. This will include many people with visual, hearing, mobility, cognitive and other disabilities that can impact engagement with digital experiences on a daily basis.
It just makes good business sense to offer users a digital experience that caters for all. This is such an understood fact that the vast majority of professionals now recognise this – 91% say that digital accessibility provides a competitive advantage.
If this commercial incentive wasn’t enough, authorities across the world also continue to pass regulations that are making accessibility a legal requirement in many countries. For instance, the EU’s European Accessibility Act (EAA), which became enforceable in June, has compelled companies to act – with those who fail to comply facing the threat of penalties, fines and even market expulsion.
Scaling accessibility
But, while there are a multitude of reasons why a company may want to act, accessibility is not an easy challenge to resolve. Accessibility is not, contrary to some beliefs, a one-time effort.
New product releases must be tested and verified for conformance with accessibility standards. If digital accessibility is addressed late in the process, which is often the case, it can lead to expensive and inefficient post-launch fixes.
Existing assets, such as websites, portals, apps, and documents, also require regular updates and audits to ensure they remain accessible to all users. In large enterprises, this can involve dozens of web properties, which are managed by decentralised teams using different tools and processes.
This creates a level of complexity that makes it difficult to ensure consistency across the wider organisation. Even when best practices are developed, such as appropriate font sizing or colour contrast, they are often hard to replicate across business units – as accessibility efforts have been siloed within compliance or engineering teams, with limited cross-functional ownership.
Ultimate responsibility for accessibility, however, will typically fall on a small number of champions – who often lack the tools or confidence to take action. As a result, organisations remain stuck in a cycle of manual testing and remediation led by external consultants.
Introducing AI Agents
Over the years, software platforms have emerged to empower these teams to take more ownership and reduce reliance on external consultants. But tools are often disconnected from core design and development workflows – meaning manual testing and expert intervention remain central to many processes.
This model persists, but it is not well suited for the scale and speed required in today’s digital environments. To truly scale accessibility, a new approach is needed – one that doesn’t just support accessibility work but actively drives it. This is where agentic AI comes in.
There is now a clear roadmap that will lead to AI agents being embedded directly into design, development and content workflows. They will not only detect issues but guide non-experts to fix them in real time, reducing reliance on specialists and manual testing. This will allow accessibility to be addressed earlier in the process and by a broader set of contributors.
These use cases are still developing, but they point to a future where accessibility work is not only supported but actively driven forward by intelligent systems.
Business Value
The positive impact of AI agents on accessibility will emerge in several ways and extend well beyond automation.
Reduced time to market
One of the immediate benefits is the time saved completing repetitive tasks like adding missing alt text or verifying focus indicators. These tasks, traditionally handled manually, consume significant developer time and slow down release cycles. By offloading them to agents, teams can accelerate product delivery and reduce time to market.
Standardised practices
AI agents also have the potential to standardise best practices across decentralised teams, ensuring consistent implementation regardless of tools or processes. This helps organisations replicate learnings and scale improvements without being hindered by fragmentation.
Centralised governance
Agents also support centralised governance, giving accessibility practitioners greater visibility and control. With intelligent oversight, champions can shift their focus from tactical remediation to strategic initiatives, such as defining code acceptance criteria, securing training and driving cross-functional alignment.
ROI reporting
Importantly, agents can help teams tell a stronger ROI story. By synthesising compliance data into executive-ready insights, they make accessibility measurable, fundable and strategically aligned. This is critical in environments where accessibility efforts often struggle to secure sustained investment.
Amplified expertise
Rather than replacing human expertise, agents are positioned to amplify it – freeing up champions to focus on enhancing digital experiences and demonstrating how accessibility drives customer acquisition, loyalty and growth.
While these capabilities are still emerging, the direction is clear: AI agents will play a pivotal role in helping organisations scale accessibility sustainably, confidently and intelligently.
