The AI No One’s Talking About: Augmented Inclusive Design Workflows

AI is now embedded in everyday design workflows, influencing decisions that directly impact inclusion and accessibility. But while AI can accelerate design tasks, it cannot replace human judgment.

This session reframes AI not as artificial intelligence, but as augmented inclusion. You’ll see how AI can support more inclusive design decisions without requiring designers to become accessibility experts or overhaul their existing workflows.

Through practical, real-world examples, the session explores how AI can assist with tasks such as generating and refining image descriptions, proposing contrast-safe color pairs, and clarifying written content. Just as importantly, it highlights where AI support falls short, why inclusion cannot be automated away, and the risks designers need to watch for when relying on AI-generated output.

You’ll leave with a clear, realistic understanding of where AI adds value in inclusive design workflows, where it introduces risk, and how to apply human judgment to ensure responsible outcomes.

Key takeaways:

• Use AI to generate and refine alt text in tools like Adobe InDesign, knowing when to edit, replace, or mark images as decorative
• Apply AI-suggested color combinations to support contrast goals, then validate and adjust them in real design layouts
• Understand what AI-based accessibility and quality checks actually evaluate, particularly for documents and PDFs
• Recognize common AI failure patterns in inclusive design work, including generic descriptions, missed intent, and false confidence in automated results