AI-driven accessibility software installed on hundreds of thousands of websites to help disabled users navigate online has been generating unreliable image descriptions and poor accessibility features, leading to over 4,500 lawsuits in 2023 for non-compliance with disability access regulations.
Companies worldwide, numbering as many as 360,000 according to Financial Times analysis, have installed AI-powered accessibility tools and 'overlays' to comply with disability access regulations in at least 45 countries. These automated systems are designed to provide image descriptions for blind users and transform websites for assistive technologies like screen readers. However, the AI-generated software has proven unreliable, with incidents including a sports club website where the AI incorrectly described bullet points as a toilet when read aloud to a blind user named Jakob Rosin from Estonia. The poor performance of these automated accessibility tools has contributed to a surge in lawsuits, with over 4,500 cases filed in the US in 2023 alone, representing a 13% increase from 2022. More than 900 companies including JCPenney and Prabal Gurung faced legal action for alleged failure to provide equal digital access for disabled people. The overlays are used on websites ranging from Mexico's Pemex to LVMH and London-listed Capita. Disability advocates report that these AI tools often make websites harder to navigate and interfere with assistive technologies, with the EU warning that companies cannot rely solely on AI for compliance.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems that fail to perform reliably or effectively under varying conditions, exposing them to errors and failures that can have significant consequences, especially in critical applications or areas that require moral reasoning.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed