GAAD Foundation, ServiceNow Announce AI Model Accessibility Checker API for Software developers

Apropos of today being Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the GAAD Foundation on Thursday announced an AI-powered accessibility checker called the AI Model Accessibility Checker (AIMAC). The tool, described as “[evaluating and comparing] how well coding-focused large language models (LLMs) generate accessible code [by providing] benchmarks for companies to test and demonstrate the accessibility of their models’ output.” AIMAC was developed in collaboration with the folks at ServiceNow.

The GAAD Foundation notes the primary purpose of the project is to “[help] the technology industry drive toward more inclusive standards that can lead to a more accessible world for the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities.”

At a technical level, AIMAC is characterized as “an open-source, extensible evaluation framework” which tests AI models by sending prompts and analyzing the accessibility of the returned HTML code. Furthermore, the GAAD Foundation says the AIMAC API “features fully customizable prompts, making it adaptable to different use cases—from design and layout to semantic structure. The system generates a comparative score to help users identify which models excel at producing accessible code.”

“Accessibility must be a foundational requirement as AI reshapes our digital future,” said GAAD co-founder Joe Devon in a statement for the announcement. "With AI adoption accelerating, there’s a risk of the industry becoming a ‘winner takes all’ space dominated by a handful of companies. If accessibility isn’t prioritized, people with disabilities risk being systematically excluded from AI’s transformative potential. AIMAC helps address this risk by embedding accessibility as a baseline standard in AI innovation. I’m honored to launch this with my friend and longtime collaborator, Eamon McErlean, whose leadership at ServiceNow reflects a deep commitment to accessibility and aligns with GAAD’s mission of building a more accessible digital world.”

For his part, McErlean agreed wholeheartedly with Devon in a statement of his own.

“Accessibility should never be an afterthought. It must be embedded into every phase of the product development lifecycle,” he said. “While the technology industry has made progress, accessibility was an afterthought for far too long. We can’t let history repeat itself with AI. That’s why I’m proud to launch AIMAC with Joe—a trusted advocate, expert, and ServiceNow collaborator—as we join forces to champion inclusive innovation and ensure AI experiences are equitable from the start.”

Devon and McErlean are familiar names. Devon sat down with me earlier this month for an interview about the recent State of Mobile App Accessibility Report, for which he worked with ArcTouch in an advisory capacity. In terms of artificial intelligence, Devon said “it’s too early to tell” if AI will make mobile apps more accessible (or not), but nonetheless did express bullishness on the technology’s potential in assisting the disability community. As to McErlean, who serves as ServiceNow’s vice president and global head of accessibility, spoke with me back in 2023 about digital inclusion and many more topics. Both men are co-hosts of the Accessibility and Gen AI Podcast.

AIMAC is available on the GAAD Foundation’s GitHub repository.