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The digital world is built for speed, convenience and innovation — but too often, not for everyone. For millions of people with disabilities, navigating websites, apps, public kiosks or digital services can still be frustrating, confusing or outright impossible.
Now, with the European Accessibility Act officially in force as of 28 June 2025, this is changing. The legislation introduces a new standard of digital accessibility across the EU, covering everything from e-commerce to banking terminals, transport apps to e-books. For organisations still assessing compliance, this moment calls for urgent action.
AI has a critical role to play. Used thoughtfully, AI can bridge many of the barriers that make digital spaces inaccessible — and help businesses create experiences that are not just compliant, but genuinely inclusive.
What Is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive designed to harmonise accessibility requirements across the EU. It focuses on a wide range of products and services, including:
- ATMs, ticketing machines and payment terminals
- Smartphones, computers, e-readers and apps
- Websites and e-commerce platforms
- Banking, transport and media services
Organisations within the EU were required to comply with the act by 28 June 2025. From that date, businesses that fail to meet the new standards risk legal penalties, reputational damage and the exclusion of users with disabilities.
For companies outside the EU offering digital services within Europe, the rules still apply.
How AI Can Help
Here are four key ways AI is already improving accessibility in both digital and physical spaces:
1. Voice and Language Accessibility
AI-powered tools like automatic transcription, real-time captioning and voice recognition allow for hands-free operation and better understanding of spoken content. AI can also translate content into multiple languages or convert text to speech — improving accessibility for non-native speakers and people with vision impairments.
2. Visual Interpretation
For users with limited or no vision, computer vision and image recognition can help describe on-screen content or physical surroundings. AI models can identify objects, read text from images or provide scene descriptions to help users interact more confidently with digital environments.
3. Adaptive Interfaces
AI can dynamically adapt user interfaces to fit individual needs — adjusting font sizes, button spacing, colour contrast or navigation structure depending on how a person interacts with the screen. This allows for more seamless experiences across different devices and abilities.
4. Tactile Signage and 3D Printing
One exciting development comes from the world of 3D texture printing. New devices like the world’s first personal 3D texture UV printer can quickly produce signage with raised textures, braille and tactile patterns — making office environments and public spaces more accessible for users with visual impairments.
(Watch it in action: 3D Texture UV Printer Demo)
AI Infrastructure Matters
Creating inclusive products starts with inclusive thinking — but it also requires the right tools and infrastructure.
At Boston, we help organisations of all sizes accelerate their AI strategies. From building adaptive apps to deploying computer vision at scale, we can support you with the compute, software and infrastructure you need — from training environments to full production-ready AI SuperPODs.
Need to Catch Up on Compliance?
The accessibility deadline has passed — but it’s not too late to get things right.