Treat AI output as a draft, not a finished experience
An AI-generated article can look polished while remaining difficult to use. A heading may be styled to look prominent without being marked as a heading. A link may say “click here” instead of explaining its destination. An image description may sound plausible but miss the detail a reader needs. These problems are easy to overlook when reviewing only the words on a screen.
Accessibility checks ask whether people can find, understand and use the published content in different ways. That includes people who navigate by keyboard, use a screen reader, enlarge text, rely on captions or benefit from straightforward language. AI can help spot possible problems, but it cannot confirm how a finished page behaves in every browser, device or assistive technology. Review the content in its published format, not just in the AI chat where it was drafted.
Check the page’s structure and language
Start with the content outline. Give the page one clear main title, then arrange section headings in a logical order. Headings should describe what follows rather than serve as decoration. If you paste AI-generated text into a publishing tool, confirm that headings are assigned as headings, not merely made bold or larger. Break long passages into manageable paragraphs, and use lists when they make steps or options easier to scan.
Next, read the page as someone encountering the topic for the first time. Define necessary terms, expand unfamiliar abbreviations and replace vague instructions with specific ones. AI may add confident-sounding filler or inconsistent terminology; remove both. For links, make the linked text meaningful out of context. “Read the image guidance” is more useful than “learn more,” provided that it accurately describes the destination.
If you used AI to simplify a passage, check that it preserved the meaning. Shorter language is not automatically clearer: an omitted condition or an oversimplified instruction can make a page less useful. Ask someone unfamiliar with the draft to explain what action the page asks them to take, then revise any confusing sections.
Review images and visual information
For each image, decide what purpose it serves. A decorative image may not need a spoken description, while an image that conveys information needs text that communicates that information. For example, alt text for a chart should explain its relevant takeaway, not just say “bar chart.” If the chart contains details readers need to inspect, provide those details in nearby text or a suitable data presentation as well.
AI can suggest alt text, but verify its suggestions against the actual image and the surrounding article. It may invent objects, infer a person’s identity or overlook what matters in context. Keep descriptions focused on the image’s purpose; do not repeat a nearby caption unless the repetition helps. If an image contains essential words, make sure those words are available as text elsewhere.
Check visual presentation too. Text and controls need sufficient contrast with their backgrounds, and color alone should not carry a distinction such as “required” versus “optional.” Use an accessibility checker to flag potential contrast problems, then inspect the actual page, including text placed over images. An AI description of a design cannot measure whether its rendered colors or layout are usable.
Make audio, video and interactive elements usable
AI-generated captions and transcripts are useful starting points, not automatic replacements for review. Compare them with the media to correct missing words, speaker changes and meaningful sounds. Captions should be timed so viewers can follow the action; a transcript should preserve the information needed to understand the recording. If a video conveys important information only through visuals, provide a spoken or written explanation of that information.
If the page includes forms, menus or interactive graphics, try completing the intended task using only a keyboard. Can you see where focus moves? Can you reach and operate each control, understand its label and recover from an error? These checks must be performed on the actual interface. A generated description of a form cannot establish that the form works for a keyboard or screen-reader user.
Use a repeatable pre-publication check
A practical sequence is to review the facts and meaning first, inspect heading structure and links second, check images and media third, and test the rendered page last. Automated accessibility tools can flag some issues, such as missing image descriptions or certain contrast problems. They cannot judge whether an alt text is helpful, whether instructions make sense or whether a caption is accurate. Where possible, combine tool results with keyboard navigation and a screen-reader check.
You can ask AI to act as a reviewer by giving it the draft and requesting a list of potentially unclear headings, link labels, unexplained terms and images that need human review. Do not present its response as an accessibility certification. Avoid sharing private drafts, personal information or unpublished customer material with a tool unless your team has approved that use. Record the problems you found and fixed so the next draft starts with a better template. Accessibility is easier to maintain as part of publishing than to add after readers encounter a barrier.
