Artificial intelligence is advancing fast in digital accessibility and we’re not too far away from AI super scans replacing automated “accessibility checkers” on a commercial level. But, there will still be a place for (manual) accessibility audits for a while and that is because even AI super scans will still miss issues and they will still hallucinate issues.
However, we do expect that by no later than 2027, we will reach a level of hybrid automation whereby AI super scans are so good, their audit accuracy rate is over 90% and so then only a human review will be necessary.
By the way, we’ve written about hybrid automation in accessibility before and it’s really important to understand what’s happening in hybrid.
Think of hybrid automation as multi-layered. We’re not combining automation and human evaluation (e.g., like fitting two puzzle pieces together). Rather, we’re using artificial intelligence as a layer 1 and then human review as a layer 2.
Humans and machines won’t be working hand-in-hand, AI will be taking care of most of the work and humans will be reviewing, correcting, and finalizing.
Some digital accessibility companies don’t understand this and they’re misapplying the term “hybrid” to mean combining their “AI-powered” widget with other fixes. No, that’s not how this works.
Similarly, we’re not combining an automated scan with screen reader testing.
Again, hybrid automation isn’t something like AI takes 60% of the issues and humans take the other 40%. Here’s a quote from our linked article:
Hybrid automation in accessibility is where we can automate some or all of a process through AI or coded rulesets, but the resulting output must be thoroughly reviewed manually before the output is able to be used in a commercial or professional setting.
This is the future of AI in digital accessibility.
Again, a key theme emerges: we’re not 100% automating anything, we’re just making our processes more efficient.
We’re already saving teams time and money with Tracker AI inside the Accessibility Tracker platform.
Tracker AI’s Power Right Now
But you don’t have to wait a year to harness AI’s ability to speed your project up. Our Accessibility Tracker platform extracts data from audit report and transforms it into an intelligent project management system. When you upload your Excel spreadsheet audit, Tracker extracts every single issue, recommendation, and technical detail automatically. No manual data entry, no copying and pasting between systems.
This extraction isn’t just about moving data around. Each issue becomes actionable through five pre-configured AI tools that understand your specific audit context. Your developers don’t need to interpret technical WCAG language or search for implementation guidance. The AI already knows what issue they’re looking at and provides targeted assistance.
Consider what happens when a developer encounters an unfamiliar keyboard navigation issue. Instead of scheduling a technical support call at $195 per hour, they click “Analyze with AI” and immediately get code examples tailored to their specific problem. The AI isn’t giving generic advice about keyboard accessibility – it’s working from the exact issue description, applicable code, and auditor recommendations from your audit report.
This targeted approach dramatically reduces fix times. AI might ratchet down fixing one issue from 45 minutes to 20 minutes. Multiply that efficiency gain across 150 issues and you’re looking at weeks of saved developer time.
The AI tools also reduce validation cycles. When developers understand issues correctly the first time, they’re less likely to implement incomplete fixes that require rework. Auditors spend less time sending issues back for additional changes because the initial fixes are more accurate.
Your team gains accessibility knowledge through practical application. After fixing 50 issues with AI guidance, developers start recognizing patterns. They understand why certain ARIA attributes matter, how keyboard navigation should flow, and what makes alternative text effective. This experiential learning creates lasting expertise within your organization.
Tracker’s AI integration represents the practical implementation of efficiency in accessibility today. While we wait for AI super scans to rise, we’re already extracting maximum value from current AI capabilities by focusing on what it does well: providing instant, contextual guidance that helps teams fix real accessibility issues faster and more accurately.
