AI has made some noise in the accessibility space lately. Automated captions are sharper. Screen reader voices are smoother. Generative tools can suggest alt text, write transcripts, maybe even draft your accessibility statement. Then Jakob Nielsen dropped a bomb. He said the accessibility industry has failed — that AI will fix what humans couldn’t. Cue the eye rolls. Cue the rage. Cue the real talk. Let’s break it down.
The Jakob Moment
Jakob Nielsen — yes, that Jakob Nielsen — recently declared that accessibility hasn’t delivered on its promise. He argued that most websites are still unusable, and that AI is now the only path forward. The backlash was immediate. Léonie Watson, one of the fiercest accessibility voices out there, hit back: “Nielsen needs to think again.” And she’s right.
What AI Can Do
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Flag missing alt text
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Suggest color contrast improvements
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Transcribe audio and generate captions
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Speed up some types of testing
That’s useful. Even exciting. But it’s not a revolution — it’s an upgrade.
What AI Can’t Do
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Understand user intent
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Interpret emotional or cultural nuance
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Detect whether “click here” makes sense in context
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Recognize when a “success” message isn’t actually visible
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Replace conversations with real disabled users
AI doesn’t know what it feels like to be left out. And that matters.
Accessibility Is Human Work
Yes, AI can assist. But accessibility is about inclusion, not automation. It’s about asking who’s in the room — and who’s still locked out.
A tool can check your headings. Only a person can tell you whether your experience makes someone feel welcome.
This work isn’t about perfection. It’s about listening, evolving, and building systems that serve all of us — not just the ones with fast thumbs and 20/20 vision.
Let’s Not Get Replaced by the Hype
The question isn’t “Will AI replace us?”
The question is “Will we use AI to amplify the right voices — or to drown them out?”
Accessibility pros aren’t going anywhere. Because the future isn’t just code and algorithms — it’s community, empathy, and design that doesn’t settle for the path of least resistance.
Let’s not get lazy just because the tools got smarter. Let’s get better. Together.
