We cannot miss this moment: how the disability community can shape artificial intelligence for democracy
This month, the United Nations Conference of States Parties to The Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (COSP) will explore artificial intelligence (AI) for greater accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Understanding the ways in which AI is already intersecting with civic and political spaces, and how it can be made more accessible for positive use, is critical to harnessing AI in support of democracy. For the disability community, and the future of AI, this is an unmissable moment – the time is now to set standards and norms around AI for democracy.
The link between accessibility and technological innovation
Innovation thrives at the intersection of accessibility and technology. The Bluetooth and noise cancellation technology used in hearing aids can also be found in wireless headphones. Virtual learning platforms and study aids support not just students with cognitive or intellectual disabilities, but students of all learning styles. Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, and communication tools such as texting and audio books, were invented to support people with disabilities and are now commonplace. These advances in technology serve the dual purpose of increasing access and making everyday life easier for everyone.
Innovation has also increased the use of technology in democratic processes, such as elections. In 2024 alone, there were 142 elections and technology was used across many of them, from voter registration software to electronic voting machines and electronic systems for submitting and reviewing electoral complaints. AI also played a major role in elections. It was used in the US to gather voter information to address voters’ questions and concerns. Social media platforms worldwide both combatted and disseminated AI-generated attacks. And in the Tokyo mayoral race, one candidate even developed an AI version of herself to share her policies with voters.
AI’s disability bias problem
As noted during Microsoft’s Ability Summit 2025, AI is susceptible to disability bias when it does not accurately reflect the breadth and diversity of user accommodations and preferences. If websites used by AI to source election information do not adhere to accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), users with disabilities may not receive the information they need.
COSP 2025 is an opportunity to close this gap by exploring AI’s potential to strengthen democracy and disability inclusion, and shift policymakers and governments’ approach to disability inclusion in local, national, and regional legislation. AI can foster more open and inclusive civic and political life, even in narrowing or closed civic spaces.
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Subscribe nowHow the disability community can help shape AI for the good of democracy
The disability community can be thought leaders and collaborators, advocating with and working alongside practitioners, governments, civil society leaders and communities, to ensure AI plays a positive role in democratic processes and disability inclusion.
Here are three proposed actions to help us get there:
- Create new norms around assistive AI technology
With the integration of accessibility features across mainstream tech tools, the disability community has already made the use of assistive technology a mainstay of daily life. To further these efforts, it is important to work within a diverse coalition of partners.
This should include young people, who are often early adopters of new technology and grow up alongside technological innovation. This coalition should also embrace members of marginalised communities, such as people from ethnic or religious minorities, who may use technology to access otherwise inaccessible information on engaging in civic and political life.
To create new AI norms that advance inclusion, we must start by creating networks that encourage society to rethink its attitude towards disability and access.
- Advocate for legislation that holds AI accountable to accessibility
While grassroot advocacy is critical to advancing accessibility standards and creating inclusive public spaces, national or regional policy must also enforce those standards.
The UK’s Equality Act and accessibility regulations for the public sector, implemented in 2010 and 2018 respectively, provides guidance for making digital platforms WCAG compliant. Both require public sector services to not only follow WCAG standards but publish statements detailing their accessibility features.
The European Accessibility Act, which comes into effect this month, will create consistent legislation on accessibility across the EU and ensure products are more accessible to people with disabilities. The EU Artificial Intelligence Act, which was enacted in August 2024, regulates AI usage across Europe while minimising use of risky AI systems.
Legislation and regulations like these can help set a new global standard for AI accessibility.
- Foster open and inclusive civic and political spaces through accessible AI
AI will continue to be used for nefarious purposes, such as spreading fake, AI-generated images and videos and for identifying and targeting those who oppose authoritarian regimes.
But it can also be a positive force for democracy. Examining the current uses of AI in both civic and political processes can help democracy activists better understand the opportunities AI provides for advancing democracy, especially as relates to accessibility and inclusive spaces, and where the gaps are. This type of evaluation can also assist technology developers to find new ways to combat technology-driven authoritarian practices.
Disability and democracy are inextricably linked, as the inclusion of all people and the creation of accessible processes are at the heart of creating strong democratic cultures.
At COSP, there will be much discussion around what AI can do, but the conversation should also focus on what AI can be – a tool that promotes democracy, creates new norms and accessibility standards and facilitates inclusive civic and political spaces.
The technology of tomorrow begins with the disability community of today.
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