How WCAG Guidelines Apply to AI-Generated Content

Creating content used to mean long hours behind the keyboard — writing, designing, coding, all of it done by hand. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can write an entire blog post, create an entire set of product images, or even complete a page layout in just seconds. The pace is, honestly, incredible. The possibilities? Endless. 

But as we ride the wave of AI-content creation, there’s one question we need to ask ourselves:

Are we keeping digital accessibility in mind? 

Content that is created quickly isn’t always made better, something that’s especially true for individuals with disabilities. Accessibility isn’t optional. And it isn’t just about websites built from scratch or lovingly hand-coded HTML. Accessibility standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), apply to all content — including generative AI content.

Below, we’ll explain exactly how WCAG applies to AI-generated content — from written text to visuals and multimedia — and how to create accessible, compliant content that includes all users and minimizes your legal risk.

Why AI-Generated Content Raises New Accessibility Guidelines

The evolution of AI-powered tools is remarkable. In just a few years, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, DALL·E, and Midjourney have gone from novelty tools to a part of everyday workflows. They’re drafting content, generating images, coding layouts — even building entire presentations or webpages. What used to take days is now done in mere hours. And that kind of efficiency is hard to pass up for busy teams.

With how quickly AI can generate content, it’s not surprising that accessibility often slips through the cracks. 

It’s easy to assume that because AI outputs “clean” text or beautiful designs, it would be accessible and compliant. The reality is: web accessibility isn’t something any tool can guarantee — it’s something you have to build in, check for, and often fix yourself.

For example, while AI tools can write alt text, the text they create sounds right, but actually says nothing. Most AI descriptions are so generic (e.g., a person sitting at a desk) and miss key context that they leave assistive technology or screen reader users in the dark. 

Another example: AI systems can create images with bold, eye-catching, or trendy color palettes, but those choices can make content unreadable for people with visual impairments like low vision or colorblindness, especially if the color contrast ratio is low.

These issues aren’t easy to spot, and AI doesn’t exactly include a warning when it creates them. That’s why accessibility needs to be part of the process before content is published or shared, especially if you want to avoid non-compliance risks.

Inaccessible content means being excluded from critical information, services, or experiences for users, particularly people with disabilities. For organizations, it can mean non-compliance with accessibility laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 508 (both of which enforce WCAG guidelines), exposing them to legal action or reputational damage.

Put simply: The more you use AI to generate content, the greater the risk of introducing accessibility barriers that impact the user experience without realizing it. That’s why it’s essential to build accessibility checks into your content creation process. 

Quick Refresher: What are WCAG Guidelines

Before we get into how to integrate accessibility into your AI creation processes, a quick refresher on WCAG.

WCAG is a set of guidelines created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that help make digital content more accessible to individuals with disabilities. It’s considered the global standard for accessibility and is enforced by numerous laws, including the ADA, Section 508, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Following WCAG guidelines isn’t just about checking a compliance box — it’s about creating better content for everyone. By designing with accessibility in mind, you make your digital experiences clearer, more navigable, and more inclusive for all users, including those with disabilities.

How WCAG Applies to AI-Generated Text

Writing is arguably the most common use of AI today. Blog posts, product descriptions, internal documents, email campaigns — all of it can be written by AI and at a staggering pace. And while it’s fast and efficient, it’s not always accessible.

AI technology can’t understand your audience. It doesn’t know who’s reading, what tools they use, or what barriers they might face. Without intentionally reviewing and testing AI content, there’s a good chance it has accessibility issues.

Some of the most common issues that occur in AI-generated text include:

• Jargon or overly complex language: AI can produce text that sounds polished, but it’s not always plain or easily understood. Under WCAG 3.1.5 (Reading Level), “content should be written as clearly and simply as possible.” Overly technical language or flowery language can make content more difficult to read, especially for those with cognitive disabilities or those using screen readers. Opt for simple, easy-to-understand language wherever possible.

• Missing structure: Most AI tools don’t consider heading structure when generating content. Instead, they often rely on bolded text to imply hierarchy — creating visual organization without the semantic markup screen readers rely on. Without proper structure (like H2s, H3s, lists, and paragraphs), it’s much harder for users with assistive technologies to navigate and understand the flow of information. Follow the recommendations in WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) to ensure headings are correctly used and reflect the actual structure of the page.

• Unclear link text: Most AI tools produce link text that simply reads “Click here.” But vague link text like that doesn’t tell users — especially those using screen readers — where they’re going or what to expect. WCAG 2.4.4 (Link Purpose) explains how to write link text that provides much-needed context for users.

These may sound like small issues, but they add up quickly — especially if you’re using AI to generate large volumes of content. 

How WCAG Applies to AI-Generated Images and Visuals

Generating beautiful visuals or images quickly is something AI can do incredibly well. Whether you’re using Midjourney to create illustrations, designing social graphics in Canva with AI help, or pulling product mockups from DALL·E, it’s all too easy to bring ideas to life.

As eye-catching as these visuals may be, they still need to be accessible.

Just like text, images must meet WCAG guidelines to ensure they can be understood and interacted with by everyone, including people using screen readers, keyboard navigation, or low-vision users. Unfortunately, most AI tools don’t account for that. 

Below are some of the accessibility issues introduced by AI-generated images:

• Missing or poor alt text: WCAG 1.1.1 (Alt Text) requires all non-text content, including images, charts, and graphs, to include descriptive alt text. While AI tools can create alt text, the descriptions can be vague or miss the point entirely (e.g., “A digital image of a person”). Without meaningful alt text, users who rely on screen readers are left out of the experience.

• Low contrast or hard-to-read designs: AI tools are designed to prioritize aesthetics, but that doesn’t always translate to readability. Under WCAG 1.4.3 (Contrast: Minimum), images should have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 to ensure good readability and that all content is easily readable.

• Text baked into images: When important text, like calls to action, dates, or instructions, is embedded inside an image file rather than presented as live text, it becomes invisible to assistive technologies. WCAG 1.4.5 (Images of Text) recommends avoiding critical text inside graphics whenever possible.

Here’s the bottom line: AI can help you design faster, but it won’t catch accessibility issues unless you do.   

Stylized web browser showing a shield icon with a balanced scale; a credit card is on the left side of the browser and the accessibility symbol is on the right.

Tips for Making AI-Generated Content More Accessible from the Start

The easiest time to fix accessibility issues? Before they happen. 

If you’re using AI to speed up content creation, there are a few simple ways to make accessibility part of the process from the beginning — rather than something you scramble for later.

Here are a few ways you can make AI-generated content more accessible from the start:

• Run accessibility checks on AI-generated content: Use automated testing tools (like AudioEye’s Website Accessibility Checker) to scan for common issues like missing alt text, poor color contrast, improper heading structure, etc. These accessibility tools give you a great starting point for understanding how accessible your content is.

• Manually write or review alt text: Even if your AI tool can write alt text, don’t assume it’s accurate. Alt text should reflect the purpose and context of the image — not just describe what’s visible. Do a quick review of the text to ensure accuracy before putting it on your website or mobile app.

• Review everything against a WCAG checklist: Whether it’s a webpage, PDF, or social post, cross-check your content against a WCAG checklist to ensure it aligns with WCAG guidelines. 

• Test with assistive technology: Test your content using a screen reader or keyboard commands. You may want to consider involving individuals with disabilities, as this can help you detect and find usability issues that you (and AI) may have missed.

• Use prompts that include accessibility cues: AI is only as good as the instructions you give it. When creating AI prompts, try including accessibility considerations. For example, instead of “write a product description,” try “Write a product description using plain language and include headings in semantic HTML.”

• Train your team on accessibility principles: Regular accessibility training can go a long way in helping content creators, designers, and developers spot common WCAG issues — and avoid them in the first place.

• Set up review workflows — especially if you’re scaling with AI: When you’re generating a high volume of content, accessibility checks can easily slip through the cracks. That’s why it’s helpful to build accessibility into your review process. Create checkpoints for structure, color contrast, alt text, and usability so each piece of content gets at least a quick scan before it goes live.

Each of these small shifts doesn’t take much extra time — but they do make a big difference. And the more consistent you are, the easier it becomes to scale content without sacrificing accessibility.

Accessibility Isn’t Optional — Even in the Age of AI

AI has completely changed the way we create content. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it opens the door to all kinds of creative possibilities. But speed shouldn’t come at the expense of accessibility.

Whether it’s content written by a person or generated by a prompt, WCAG guidelines still apply. As AI continues to evolve, the need for accessible, user-friendly content will only grow. Being proactive now — by building accessibility into your prompts, processes, and review workflows — is one of the best ways to future-proof your digital experience.

The good news? You don’t have to do it on your own. 

With AudioEye, achieving accessibility and compliance (regardless of how it’s created) is easy. AudioEye takes a three-pronged approach to accessibility, helping you detect and fix more accessibility issues than any other tool on the market. We start with AI-based automation to detect up to 500% more issues than other automated solutions and back it up with expert user testing and custom accessibility fixes. 

The result: Online content that is accessible, easy-to-use, and conformant to WCAG guidelines. 

Ready to see if your AI-generated content meets accessibility standards? Get started with a free accessibility scan. 

Want to see how to build accessibility into your workflows using AudioEye? Schedule a demo to learn more.