From Hype to Help:
Responsible AI Guidance for AAC Professionals
This guidance was developed as part of Francesca Sephton’s MSc dissertation in Educational Assistive Technology. The project explored how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used within Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and how professionals can use it responsibly in practice.
Why this matters
AI is increasingly being integrated into AAC systems, particularly in tools that support language generation. While this creates exciting opportunities for people with complex communication needs, it also raises important ethical questions. Key issues include authorship, data privacy and ableist bias in training data (Griffiths, Slaughter & Waller, 2024).
This project aimed to better understand both the benefits and the concerns around AI in AAC, from the perspectives of professionals and AAC users themselves. It focused on linguistic and rate-enhancement tools as a key area of AI integration.
What the research involved
The study used a qualitative approach to complete:
• Interviews with AAC professionals
• A co-design workshop with AAC users to co-write the guidance
This approach ensured that the guidance was shaped not just by theory, but by lived experience and practical insight.
What we learned
Eleven overarching themes were identified, and these were shared with AAC users who co-wrote the guidance. Participants recognised AI’s potential to enhance efficiency and linguistic support but emphasised the need to preserve user agency, authorship, and diversity of communication. AAC users highlighted inclusion, transparency, and control as priorities for responsible design.
What this guidance offers
The resulting guidance focuses on supporting AAC professionals to:
• Use AI in an ethical and transparent way
• Keep the AAC user’s voice, identity, and choices at the centre
• Make informed decisions about when and how AI should be used
This is preliminary guidance and Francesca would like to develop this further with more AAC user voices and professional input. If you are interested in this, please contact: fran@attherapy.co.uk.
Download the guidance here.
Explainable AI Resources
Building on this research, an AI working group was established at ATtherapy. Bringing together Speech and Language Therapists, Assistive Technologists, and the wider team, the group is developing Explainable AI resources to support AAC users and their communication partners.
Explore the training modules here.