OECD: Innovation In Accessibility (Prior To The GPAI Council Meeting)
Echoing our input to the OECD Hiroshima AI Process Reporting Framework and ahead of the GPAI Summit in Belgrade, at the invitation of Yannis Tevissen, Chief Science Officer for Moments Lab and Artificial Intelligence Scientist, we joined OECD sessions (1, 2), dedicated to Innovation in Accessibility, co-organised by the Permanent Representation of France to the OECD, the OECD Development Centre and APHPP.
We shared the stage with H.E. Mr. Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, OECD, H.E. Ms. Amélie de Montchalin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the OECD, Katrin Langensiepen, German MEP with a disability, Philippe Trotin, Director of the Disability and Digital Accessibility Mission at Microsoft France, and Matthieu Annereau, President of APHPP. The session brought together policymakers, technologists, and disability advocates to examine how AI and emerging technologies can advance accessibility and inclusion while confronting the risks these same systems pose for persons with disabilities.
Related
OECD - Innovation In Accessibility
Held on 2 December 2024 at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris, ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the event was co-organised by the Permanent Representation of France to the OECD, the OECD Development Centre, the OECD Association for Dialogue on Inclusion, Cultural Diversity and Equity (DICE), and APHPP, with the support of the OECD Executive Directorate and Directorate for Human Resources. The gathering opened against a sobering backdrop: the UN's 2024 report on disability and development found that progress remains insufficient on 30 percent of disability-related Sustainable Development Goal targets, with a further 14 percent stalled or in reverse, including targets on access to finance, healthcare, water, and information and communication technologies. OECD analysis cited at the event further noted that one in seven working-age adults across OECD countries identifies as having a disability, a share that is both significant and growing among youth, with persistent gaps in employment and multidimensional poverty running more than 20 percentage points above the general population.
The programme was structured across three thematic sessions and closing testimonies. Session One examined the shared accessibility challenges facing Europe and developing regions, with speakers including Katrin Langensiepen, Idriss Maïga Alzouma of the African Disability Forum, and Natalia Guala Beathyate of the ONCE Foundation. Session Two turned to sustainable mobility, featuring Uber France, mobility technology company Okeenea, and France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Our contribution came in Session Three, Artificial Intelligence, the X-Factor of Accessibility, moderated by Jens Lundsgaard, Deputy Director for Science, Technology and Innovation at the OECD, where discussion centred on how generative AI can strengthen assistive technology, robotics, learning, and accommodation solutions, while addressing risks specific to persons with disabilities, including transparency, cognitive silos, misinformation, and data ownership. The day closed with testimonies from accessibility advocates Maria Fernanda Montoya and Mehdi Mrhari, and remarks from the OECD's Human Resources directorate on disability inclusion and neurodiversity within the organisation itself.
The Paris meeting was held one day ahead of another milestone in the global AI governance calendar: the 2024 GPAI Summit, hosted by the Government of Serbia at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade on 3–4 December 2024, with OECD support. Bringing together GPAI member countries, global AI experts, international organisations, industry leaders, and academia, the Belgrade Summit addressed shared challenges in guiding the responsible and human-centric development of AI, situating the accessibility-focused discussions in Paris within the broader multilateral AI governance agenda advancing that same week.
References
¹ OECD Development Centre, Permanent Representation of France to the OECD, DICE, APHPP. "Innovation dans l'accessibilité, pilier majeur du développement inclusif et durable." Concept Note and Agenda. Paris. December 2, 2024.
² United Nations. "Disability and Development Report 2024." United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2024.
³ OECD. "Disability, Work and Inclusion: Mainstreaming in All Policies and Practices." OECD Publishing. Paris. 2022.
⁴ United Nations. "Pact for the Future." UN General Assembly. September 2024.
⁵ Government of the Republic of Serbia, OECD. "2024 GPAI Summit." Belgrade. December 3–4, 2024.