Access for All? The promise and perils of assistive AI

AI is redefining accessibility – but who is shaping it, and how do we ensure inclusion is built in from the start?

AI-assistive technologies are reshaping how people with disabilities access information, navigate spaces and participate fully in education, work and society. But as such technologies become more widespread, important questions remain about who they serve, how they are designed, and whether they genuinely deliver inclusive access. 

This event brings together experts from technology, advocacy and lived experience to explore the promise – and the limits – of AI-assistive technologies. As AI opens new possibilities for personalised support, alternative modes of interaction, and wider participation in work, education, and culture, it also raises critical questions about bias, agency, privacy, and responsibility. Through informed discussion, the event will examine how AI can genuinely improve accessibility without reinforcing exclusion or shifting burdens onto individuals, and what it will take – technically, ethically, and institutionally – to ensure these tools are designed with, not just for, the people they are meant to support. 

Speakers: 

• Introduced by: Professor Susan Downes, Professor of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences 

• Moderated by: Ben Tillyer, Head of Digital Accessibility, University of Oxford 

• Panellists: 

• Dominik Lukeš, AI Consultant, AI Competency Centre, University of Oxford 

• Hector Minto, CEO of Kercut; former Director of Commercial Accessibility at Microsoft  

• Leonie Watson, Director at TetraLogical; Chair of the W3C Board of Directors 

• Dave Williams, Chair of the Board of the Braillists Foundation; Customer Experience Manager at Dot Inc; former Inclusive Design Ambassador at RNIB