Where Does AI Fit on the Spectrum of Accessibility and Difficulty Aides?

Accessibility and difficulty can be seen as two sides of the same coin. This can be illustrated, for example, in the properties of a book. The subject matter, jargon, prerequisite knowledge, and density of ideas is the difficulty, whilst the line length, font size and choice, page texture, and line spacing is the accessibility. A children’s book can be rendered unreadable by poor font choice, whilst a beautifully laid out book on quantum physics can be made illegible by overuse of jargon. By examining three different applications of AI and where they land in the difficulty vs accessibility discussion - as well as looking at a case study of AI misuse from 2024 (the cancelling of the annual NaNoWriMo challenge/competition) - this talk aims to emphasise the importance of asking such difficult questions, especially when it concerns radical and disruptive technology such as AI.