Artificial intelligence is transforming software engineering at unprecedented speed. At the same time, accessibility has moved from being a specialist compliance exercise to becoming a strategic priority, driven by evolving regulation, customer expectations and the need to deliver truly inclusive digital experiences.
Bringing these two trends together, QA Financial and Level Access will host an interactive workshop led by Dana Randall, Executive Creative Director at Level Access, exploring how AI can be used to design, code and test accessible financial applications.
The workshop comes at a pivotal moment for the financial services industry. Banks and insurers are increasingly using AI to generate code, accelerate software delivery and automate testing, yet accessibility is becoming more important than ever.
As digital channels continue to dominate customer interactions, organisations can no longer treat accessibility as a final compliance check before release. Instead, it is becoming an integral part of software quality that must be considered throughout the software development lifecycle.
That makes AI for Accessibility and Cutting-Edge UX on 15 September one of the most timely workshops for software quality professionals working in financial services, taking place one day before the annual QA Financial Forum London 2026.
Dana Randall will guide delegates through practical approaches to using AI across the accessibility lifecycle, demonstrating how modern tools can help teams create more inclusive user experiences while improving development efficiency and software quality.
The interactive format is designed to give participants practical insight into embedding accessibility from the earliest design stages through development, testing and ongoing optimisation.
The session explores how AI is reshaping accessibility testing and user experience engineering, from identifying usability barriers earlier in the development lifecycle to helping teams deliver interfaces that work for a far broader range of users.
As financial institutions accelerate AI adoption across customer-facing applications, accessibility is becoming an increasingly important measure of software quality rather than simply a regulatory obligation.
For QA professionals, the discussion reflects a much broader shift taking place across software engineering. Quality teams are increasingly expected to validate not only whether applications function correctly, but whether they provide intuitive, consistent and inclusive experiences for every customer.
AI offers powerful opportunities to automate accessibility testing, analyse user journeys and identify potential issues much earlier in development.
At the same time, the technology raises important questions about governance and where human judgement remains essential, particularly when evaluating real-world usability, context and customer experience.
‘Shift left’ approach
The workshop will also examine how UX practices are evolving alongside AI. Rather than treating accessibility as a final gate before deployment, leading organisations are embedding inclusive design principles much earlier into product development, enabling designers, developers and testers to identify issues before they become costly to fix.
This “shift left” approach is rapidly becoming best practice, improving both software quality and delivery speed while reducing technical debt.
For financial institutions, the benefits extend well beyond compliance. Better user experiences improve customer trust, reduce operational risk and strengthen digital resilience, areas that are becoming increasingly important as regulators place greater emphasis on customer outcomes and technology governance.
AI provides powerful new capabilities for analysing interfaces, prioritising accessibility improvements and improving testing efficiency, but successful implementation depends on combining intelligent automation with rigorous human validation.
Level Access is recognised globally as one of the leading specialists in digital accessibility, helping organisations integrate accessibility into design, development, testing and governance programmes.
Drawing on that expertise, Randall will demonstrate practical techniques that attendees can apply within their own organisations, showing how accessibility can become a natural part of AI-assisted software engineering rather than a separate compliance activity.
As software engineering enters the era of AI-generated code and autonomous development, accessibility testing is evolving into another critical quality gate.
Organisations that successfully combine AI-assisted testing with human-centred UX validation will be better positioned to deliver software that is not only faster to market, but demonstrably more inclusive, trustworthy and resilient.
The workshop takes place on 15 September 2026 at the America Square Conference Centre in London. Designed for QA leaders, software testers, developers, UX professionals, accessibility specialists and digital product teams, the session offers a practical opportunity to learn from Level Access and Dana Randall about applying AI to create accessible, high-quality digital experiences for financial services. More information can be found here.
16 SEPTEMBER IN LONDON
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REGULATION & COMPLIANCE
Looking for more news on regulations and compliance requirements driving developments in software quality engineering at financial firms? Visit our dedicated Regulation & Compliance page here.
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