AI Can’t Learn Accessibility From A Broken Web

02/12/2025 28 min
AI Can’t Learn Accessibility From A Broken Web

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Episode Synopsis

What happens when accessibility becomes a feature, not a fix? We sit down with Eugene Woo, CEO of Venngage, to explore how a design platform can bake inclusion into every step—from contrast-aware color pickers to exporting PDF/UA files that pass compliance without a remediation gauntlet. Eugene shares Venngage’s origin story, the early pressure from education and government users, and the decision to lead with built-in accessibility even when the market wasn’t asking loudly.We dig into common misconceptions that keep teams on the sidelines: the belief that “accessible” means boring, or that compliance always adds time and cost. Eugene reframes accessibility as a creative constraint that improves legibility and clarity, especially when the tool handles structure and checks in real time. Then we tackle AI. Trained on a mostly inaccessible web, today’s models can draft fast but still hallucinate compliance. Eugene explains how Venngage pairs generative speed with deterministic rules for headings, layers, and exports, keeping a human in the loop where quality matters most.The conversation widens to content strategy. Organic traffic that once flowed to blogs is shrinking as AI answer engines satisfy queries without a click. Eugene offers candid numbers and hard-earned perspective on what’s still working: unique data, useful tools, and product-led content that solves real problems. Looking ahead, he predicts pro tools will stay hands-on and AI-assisted, while non-designer platforms shift to prompt-first workflows—“apply my brand,” “swap this image,” “ensure contrast passes,” “export PDF/UA”—handled by an assistant that understands both design and accessibility.Subscribe for more thoughtful conversations at the intersection of design, accessibility, and AI. If this resonated, share it with a teammate and leave a review—your support helps more creators build work that everyone can use.Send us a textSupport the showFollow axschat on social media.Bluesky:Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilmilliken/Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/akwyzhttps://twitter.com/axschathttps://twitter.com/AkwyZhttps://twitter.com/neilmillikenhttps://twitter.com/debraruh