Join us for Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025!
AI & Accessibility: Navigating the Challenges, Exploring the Potential
📅 15 May 2025 | 13:00–14:30 (CEST) | Zoom
How can Artificial Intelligence support, or hinder, accessibility?
This online event, hosted by TransMedia Catalonia as part of the AccessTalks initiative and the Be A(I)Ware campaign (ALFIE project), brings together experts to explore the ethical, practical, and inclusive use of AI in our digital society.
The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our daily lives presents both opportunities and challenges for digital accessibility. If AI is developed responsibly, it can break barriers and create inclusive environments. However, if not, it risks reinforcing biases and excluding vulnerable communities. This webinar will critically examine the intersection of AI and digital accessibility, addressing key concerns such as: disaggregated data, algorithmic bias, fairness, user-centric design, and the need for regulatory oversight. Attendees will gain insights into the latest research, and innovation actions that seek to make AI more inclusive while challenging the current limitations and ethical concerns associated with its use.
Agenda & Speakers:
13:00- 13:10: Opening remarks: AI and accessibility – Why this conversation matters
Chiara Gunella
We open the GAAD 2025 event with Chiara Gunella, anthropologist specialised in participatory research with vulnerable groups. Chiara will set the stage by reflecting on why now is the time to address the relationship between artificial intelligence and digital accessibility, and how critical conversations can lead to systemic change.
13:10 – 13:25: AI and facial recognition: biases and areas for improvement
Zenon Lambrou
Zenon is from Cyprus and he has recently completed his PhD in the AI field focusing on creating a system that people can interact with using their brain. His talk will focus on one of the use cases for the ALFIE projects, which involves creating unbiased and ethical models for drowsiness detection in vehicles.
13:25 – 13:40: AI for easy language: can AI simplify information?
Horacio Saggion
Horacio Saggion is chair in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Information & Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. He was appointed by UPF in 2010 as a Ramón y Cajal research fellow from the Spanish Ministry of Science and he was promoted to full professor in 2021. Horacio is director of the TALN Natural Language Processing Group where he works in several areas of Natural Language Processing (NLP) automatic text summarization, text simplification, NLP for Sign Languages, information extraction, figurative language, sentiment analysis and related topics. His work combines symbolic and statistical techniques. Since his arrival he has obtained funding to carry out his research from different national and international organizations. Horacio is the project coordinator of the Horizon Europe funded project iDEM, principal investigator for the IDEAL project and co-investigator in AI-BOOST.
13:40 – 13:55: The impact of Artificial Intelligence on persons with disabilities
Kave Noori, AI-Policy Officer
Kave Noori is passionate about making AI accessible to everyone. As AI Policy Officer at the European Disability Forum, he advocates for disability-inclusive AI and digital rights. With a background in Swedish administrative law and IT support, he brings both legal and technical insights to AI policy. He writes articles for the Swedish Data Protection Forum and has contributed to CAN-ASC-6.2, a Canadian project led by Professor Jutta Treviranus to create the world’s first technical standard for AI and accessibility.
Kave will discuss how AI impacts the human rights of people with disabilities, focusing on its disproportionate effects. He will analyze whether the EU Act addresses these issues and suggest future AI policy directions. Kave will stress the need for strong laws to harness AI’s benefits while protecting against risks. Inclusive design and use of AI can enhance inclusion. On the other hand, lack of attention to the needs of people with disabilities can exclude us from society, limit our access to services, and restrict our personal autonomy.
13:55 – 14:20: Mapping the landscape: language technologies and AI today
Roundtable
Professor Pilar Orero
PhD (UMIST, UK) works at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) in the TransMedia Catalonia Lab. She has written and edited many books, near 100 academic papers and almost the same number of book chapters –all on Media Accessibility. Leader and participant of numerous EU funded research projects focusing on media accessibility. She works in standardisation and participates in the UN ITU IRG-AVA – Intersector Rapporteur Group Audiovisual Media Accessibility. She has been working on Immersive Accessibility for the past 6 years first in a project called ImAc, which results are now further developed in TRACTION, MEDIAVERSE, MILE, and GREENSCENT. She led until December 2022 the EU network LEADME on Media Accessibility. She was the Co-Chair of Study Group on Accessibility and Inclusion in the ITU Metaverse Focus Group, and she is leading the Digital Inclusion and Accessibility track of the ITU Virtual Worlds. She is now working on AI and accessibility in the three funded projects MOSAIC, ALFIE, and SPICE.
For more info please go to: https://webs.uab.cat/pilarorero/
Eleni Kamateri
Eleni Kamateri is a Senior Researcher at INFALIA, a spin-off company of the CERTH research institute. In addition to her academic background, which includes a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and two MSc degrees, Eleni brings almost 20 years of research experience. She has contributed as a Research Associate and Technical Manager to numerous national and European research projects.
Manuel Herranz
Manuel Herranz is the CEO and founder of Pangeanic, a language technology and AI company with offices in Spain and Japan. He is a Manchester University and MIT graduate. He worked for Ford and Rolls Royce in the 1990’s before entering the language technology field where he has focused on statistical processes, pattern recognition and neural networks. He is a frequent speaker at international events. Pangeanic focuses on developing AI-powered solutions like Deep Adaptive AI Translation, AI Virtual Assistants and transcription and multilingual subtitling for European broadcasters, for BYD, news agency EFE, European broadcasters, Inland Revenue and several Japanese corporations.
14:20 – 14:30: Q&A & closing remarks