From Feature Flags to Foundations: Engineering Accessibility With Natively Adaptive Interfaces

Google is accelerating its work on digital inclusivity with a new approach to accessibility that embeds adaptability directly into AI systems. Instead of treating accessibility as an add-on feature, the company is pioneering what it calls Natively Adaptive Interfaces (NAI) — a framework that uses AI to tailor technology experiences automatically to each user’s needs. The goal is to build digital tools that adapt to people rather than forcing people to adapt to technology.

For decades, accessibility features have often been “bolted on” after a product’s main design is finished — settings you have to enable, menus you must wade through, or specialized tools that must be learned separately. While these features have provided real value, they can still feel disjointed from the core user experience. With NAI, Google seeks a more unified and proactive solution: accessibility baked into the design itself so that every interaction is inherently adaptable.

At the heart of this new framework is the idea that user experiences should be inherently flexible. AI agents built with NAI can understand the user’s goals and preferences and adjust in real time — whether that means generating audio descriptions, restructuring a page’s layout for clarity, or automatically scaling text for readability. For someone who is blind, an AI agent might narrate key visual elements of a document. For someone with ADHD, it might simplify a complex layout to reduce cognitive load. These adjustments happen without requiring manual configuration from the user.

This approach has broader benefits as well. Drawing inspiration from the “curb-cut effect,” a term that refers to how sidewalk ramps designed for wheelchair users also help parents with strollers or travelers with luggage, Google believes that accessibility features built through NAI will benefit a much wider range of users. A voice-controlled interface designed for individuals with motor disabilities, for example, can also be helpful for someone juggling groceries or holding a child while using their device.

A central pillar of NAI is collaboration with disability communities. Google emphasizes that this work should follow the principle of “nothing about us, without us,” meaning solutions are developed with — not just for — individuals who have lived experience with accessibility needs. To support these efforts, Google.org is funding partnerships with leading organizations that serve disability communities. These include the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID), The Arc of the United States, RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf people in the UK), and Team Gleason, all of which are working to build adaptive AI tools tailored to specific real-world needs.

One example of this work in action is Grammar Lab, an AI-powered tutoring tool co-developed by RIT/NTID and Google. Built using advanced Gemini models, Grammar Lab transforms years of specialized curricula into an adaptive learning environment that supports both American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Through individualized question generation and targeted practice, it helps students build skills in both languages with confidence and independence. A recent film produced by BBC StoryWorks highlighted this tool and demonstrated how it empowers educators and students alike.

By centering people with diverse abilities in the design and development process, NAI aims to ensure that accessibility is not just functional, but genuinely useful and empowering. The technology doesn’t just react to a user’s needs — it learns from them and evolves over time. As AI agents interact with users, they can refine how they present information, tailor outputs to a user’s preferred modality, and even anticipate needs based on context.

This approach also aligns with broader principles of ability-based design, which prioritizes what users can do and builds experiences around their strengths. Rather than focusing solely on specific disabilities, this philosophy views abilities as a continuum, accommodating a wide spectrum of user capabilities in areas such as motor control, vision, cognition, and communication. Designing for this spectrum means interfaces are intuitively accessible to more people, including those with temporary impairments or situational limitations (like bright sunlight or noisy environments).

Another important design goal is equivalent experiences, meaning users should be able to achieve the same outcomes regardless of how they interact with a product. Whether someone uses voice, text, touch, or another input method, the interface should deliver comparable value. Adaptive AI agents that adjust interaction styles and output formats help make this possible, ensuring that accessibility doesn’t equate to a lesser or separate experience but to a genuinely equitable one.

As AI continues to evolve, Google’s NAI framework represents a shift from reactive accessibility to proactive inclusivity. By integrating adaptability at the core of multimodal AI agents and building with the guidance of disability communities, Google aims to make digital experiences more intuitive, flexible, and meaningful for everyone — not just a select few. This initiative reflects an important evolution in how technology can embrace diversity in human ability and create products that truly work for all people.