Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Our World, But Is It Leaving People with Disabilities Behind?

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we live and work at an astonishing pace. It writes content, answers customer questions, schedules appointments, analyzes data, and even conducts job interviews.

I use AI almost every day and appreciate many of the incredible ways it improves productivity and helps businesses operate more efficiently.

But there is another side of the conversation that deserves far more attention.

Is AI creating unintended barriers for people with disabilities?

As businesses rush to automate processes and reduce costs, accessibility is sometimes treated as an afterthought. The result may not be intentional discrimination, but it can still leave qualified people at a disadvantage.

When AI Interviews Replace Human Conversations

Someone I know recently applied for a part-time seasonal retail position. During the application process, they disclosed that they have a disability.

Soon afterward, they received an invitation for what they believed would be a virtual interview. Instead of speaking with a hiring manager, they were interviewed entirely by an AI system.

For many neurodivergent individuals, interviews are already one of the most stressful parts of the hiring process. Reading social cues, interpreting questions, managing anxiety, or processing information quickly can already present challenges.

Now imagine replacing the human being, someone who can recognize nervousness, ask follow-up questions differently, clarify confusing wording, or simply offer empathy, with a computer program.

The interview becomes less about whether someone can perform the job and more about whether they know how to interact with artificial intelligence.

The applicant was well qualified for the position. The person was a college student applying for part-time seasonal retail work and already had previous retail experience. By every reasonable measure, they had the background needed to be considered for the job.

Yet they never heard from the company again.

We cannot know whether the AI interview was the reason they were eliminated from consideration. However, it is reasonable to question whether the process allowed this qualified applicant to demonstrate their experience and abilities fairly.

It raises an important question:

Are companies evaluating whether applicants can perform the job, or are they evaluating how well applicants can communicate with a machine?

AI Customer Service Isn't Accessible for Everyone

I experienced something similar from the customer side.

I have a hearing impairment. While it is relatively minor, I recently had to call a company whose phone system was handled entirely by an AI voice assistant.

I struggled to understand what the AI was saying because its speech wasn't clearly enunciated.

When I tried explaining that I have a hearing impairment and was having difficulty understanding it, the system simply couldn't comprehend what I was saying.

Eventually I found myself trapped in a conversation with technology that couldn't recognize my problem and couldn't adapt to my needs.

Ironically, the technology designed to improve customer service actually prevented me from receiving it.

A human representative likely would have immediately slowed down, spoken more clearly, transferred me to another resource, or communicated in another way.

The AI could do none of those things.

Accessibility Is About More Than One Disability

While my experiences involve hearing loss and someone I know who is neurodivergent, these concerns extend much further.

Imagine someone who is blind trying to navigate an AI system that isn't fully compatible with screen readers.

Or someone with a speech impairment repeatedly being told, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that."

A person with dyslexia or another learning disability may struggle with rapidly presented instructions or confusing prompts.

Someone with a cognitive disability may need simpler language or additional clarification that an AI system isn't designed to provide.

The very technology intended to make life easier can, if accessibility isn't considered from the beginning, unintentionally create new obstacles for the very people who most benefit from thoughtful design.

Disability isn't one-size-fits-all, and accessibility shouldn't be either.

Efficiency Should Never Come at the Expense of Accessibility

Businesses understandably want to improve efficiency. AI can reduce costs, shorten response times, and automate repetitive work.

Those are worthwhile goals.

But efficiency should never come at the expense of accessibility.

As AI becomes more involved in hiring and customer service, businesses should ask themselves whether their technology provides equitable access for everyone.

Some important questions include:

• Does our AI accommodate people with hearing impairments?
• Can neurodivergent applicants fairly navigate our hiring process?
• Can customers easily reach a real person if AI cannot meet their needs?
• Have we tested our AI with people who have different disabilities?
• Are we unintentionally excluding qualified applicants or customers because our technology isn't accessible?

Technology should expand opportunities, not narrow them.

Human Choice Still Matters

As consumers, we also make choices.

When I discover a company that makes it difficult, or impossible, for people with disabilities to communicate with a real person, I question whether accessibility was ever part of the conversation when that technology was implemented.

Likewise, when hiring processes rely so heavily on AI that qualified candidates may never have the opportunity to interact with a human being, businesses should ask themselves whether efficiency has begun to outweigh fairness.

I recognize that AI is here to stay, and I don't believe the answer is eliminating it.

The answer is designing it responsibly.

The Future Should Include Everyone

Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to improve our lives.

It can help doctors diagnose diseases, assist students with learning differences, increase workplace productivity, and make information more accessible than ever before.

Those are remarkable advancements.

But innovation should always include inclusion.

The true measure of successful technology isn't simply how many tasks it can automate.

It's whether it makes life better for everyone; including people whose disabilities may require flexibility, accommodation, or simply the opportunity to interact with another human being.

As business owners and leaders, we should ask one final question before replacing people with technology:

Does this AI make our business more efficient...or does it make our business less accessible?

The best artificial intelligence doesn't replace humanity.

It supports it.