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AI Meets Accessibility: Tech solutions for real-world challenges
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As Generative AI tools become more widely available, their potential to support disabled people is starting to receive long-overdue attention. While much of the public conversation has focused on productivity and automation benefits more widely, these technologies are quietly reshaping accessibility, offering meaningful support for people who have historically been excluded from full participation in digital life.

More than 1.3 billion people live with some form of disability, according to the World Health Organisation. In the UK, that figure is estimated at 16 million, or around a quarter of the population. Despite advances in inclusive design, many digital services remain difficult to access, especially for people who rely on screen readers, need simplified content, or process information differently. AI isn’t a simple silver bullet, but it is helping to bridge these gaps. And, as with any tool, the way it is applied will determine whether it delivers real progress or simply reinforces existing barriers, as Léonie Watson (pictured), Co-Founder at TetraLogical explains…

A new way to engage with information
For many neurodivergent people, consuming large volumes of information can be a real challenge. Long reports, academic and administrative documents are often difficult to process due to issues with focus, language, or executive functioning.

Generative AI offers ways to simplify this experience. It can help by condensing documents into clear summaries, rephrasing ideas into plain language, and responding to follow-up questions to clarify areas that weren’t fully understood in the first instance. This turns reading into an active process where users set the pace and shape the content around their own needs. In an era of constant overstimulation and information overloads, this kind of personalisation is fast becoming essential for many.

Improving access for blind and low vision users
People with visual impairments and low vision face persistent barriers online, especially when content isn’t designed with accessibility in mind. PDFs are a notoriously common problem: many are scanned images or contain layouts that are inaccessible for screen readers. AI tools can now extract meaning from these formats, summarising content and presenting it in more digestible forms.

AI also enables ad hoc image description. Whether it’s a photo, or a diagram with no alt text, users can request a detailed summary of what is shown. This extends to everyday content such as restaurant menus, infographics and social media posts, or, put simply, areas where accessibility is often overlooked.

Seeing the world in real time
Some of the most exciting developments are happening in real-time visual description. AI tools built into smart glasses or mobile apps can now analyse a live video feed to provide instant feedback about the user’s surroundings. For blind or low vision users, this could mean identifying objects in a room, reading signs while navigating, or simply having a better understanding of what is going on around them in a social setting. There are still challenges here, particularly around battery life, privacy and consistency. But as the technology improves, so too does its potential to support greater independence.

Opportunities and Limitations

Despite their promise, AI tools should not be seen as a replacement for inclusive design. Nor should their outputs be taken at face value. AI systems can and do make mistakes: image descriptions can include hallucinations with confident but incorrect details, and document summaries may contain factual errors or even fabricated content.

This means users must approach AI outputs critically and treat AI as a helpful assistant, not a final authority. For some, this adds a layer of digital literacy to the accessibility equation. For designers and developers, it’s a reminder that AI should support, but not sidestep, the core principles of accessibility.

Designing with care

The role of AI in accessibility is likely to grow, but only if it’s developed and applied with care. Recent UK research found that over a third of disabled people are concerned they will be left behind as AI becomes more widely used in healthcare and public services. Many also fear that if disabled people are not involved in the design process, these tools will fail to meet their needs.

When the dust settles on the hype around AI, it will not be just about what this technology can do, but also about who it is built with, and how it is made available. Used thoughtfully, AI can support greater equity. But it must be developed alongside a commitment to accessible standards, inclusive practices, and real user involvement.

Put simply, inclusion doesn’t happen by accident. It takes planning, listening, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. AI can help open doors, but it’s up to us to make sure everyone is invited in.

Is hidden fraud draining a third of mobile app ad budgets?
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Kochava has uncovered a sophisticated fraud scheme, labeled Monolith Fraud by its data scientists, which is siphoning millions from app install campaigns running within the walled garden of a trusted super publisher.

Kochava’s findings report Monolith Fraud consumed on average a third or more of ad budgets. For some leading brands, in the worst cases, more than two-thirds of attribution claims from the network were for fake devices.

According to Grant Simmons, VP, Kochava Foundry: “Monolith Fraud is a sophisticated operation hiding in plain sight, veiled within sources considered the safest in the business. Unlike garden-variety click farms, Monolith Fraud utilises virtual machines (VMs) that meticulously mimic real devices. These VMs are programmed to emulate authentic install behaviours: downloading apps, opening them, and even faking app usage patterns. What sets them apart? Their attempts at sophistication, but also the shortcuts fraudsters take that expose their schemes.”

The Kochava team uncovered that these VMs create app install traffic that on the surface appears legitimate. However, when examined with high-resolution data, tell-tale patterns emerge, including:

  • Constrained device signals: Fraudulent installs often report unusual consistency in device parameters, such as identical battery level, screen brightness, and device volume. Real user devices naturally produce diverse data, whereas VMs operate in bulk with rigid, non-random settings.
  • Zombie installs: Most fraudulent installs skip critical steps like registering or even opening the app, a step real users routinely take but bots avoid.
  • Suspicious install timing: These installs tend to occur in tightly packed, sequential clusters, with timing and fingerprint patterns never exhibited in organic user behaviour.

Simmons continued: “What makes Monolith Fraud particularly alarming is its origin. Rather than coming from suspect ad networks or relatively unknown partners, this fraud is emanating from within the publisher and sub-publisher inventory network of a major, self-attributing, owned and operated super publisher. In other words, a source that the entire industry is conditioned to trust.”

“These platforms have long been the gold standard for transparency and authenticity. Now, however, fraudsters are adapting, exploiting even these upper-echelon traffic sources. This signals that the safety net the industry has relied upon for years may no longer exist.”

The overall impact for brands and developers is staggering:

  • Budget impact: As previously noted, in the worst cases, more than a third of ad budgets were routed to these fraudulent installs.
  • Attributed conversion impact: On a cohort of impacted brands, Monolith Fraud consumed as much as 22-55% of total app attributions.
  • Attribution claims for fake devices: For one major brand, two out of every three attribution claims from the network were for fake devices. For other brands, the rate was between 11–34%.

Simmons continued: “We are the first and only mobile measurement partner (MMP) to bring this Monolith Fraud to light and it’s because of our unique data collection and retention strategy.”

Instead of discarding “redundant” event and install data, as many other MMPs do to save on data storage costs, Kochava stores granular device signals, event timings, and user engagement data. This enables Kochava to dive in and explore subtle anomalies that other solutions overlook.

“Compounding the matter is the fact that walled-garden super publishers don’t share all impressions and click signal data, only the records for one-to-one conversion claims. This lack of holistic data stifles fraud prevention methodologies that observe anomalous ad signal indicators,” Simmons stated.

“If you’re observing unexplained dips in retention, lower engagement and registration rates, unusual device parameter consistency or rapid-fire installs—do not ignore it. These could all be red flags, especially if you’re running campaigns with premium, owned and operated network placements,” concluded Simmons.

Are you still watching? Measurement in the streaming app era
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According to a Forbes report, Americans spend an average of $46 monthly on streaming services. An incredible 99 percent of US households subscribe to at least one or more streaming services, with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ topping the list. 

There’s no doubt that the streaming revolution is here to stay, but as costs rise and the market grows more competitive, users are becoming quicker to cancel.   

Jason Hicks, GM of Measurement Solutions at Kochava, and Jessica Dudley, VP Analytics and Operations, Liftoff, argue that activating your data, designing effective ads, and running successful acquisition campaigns for streaming services can be a vastly complex and intricate process without the right expertise. Getting it right however, can unlock the secret to retaining your users longer. 

Hicks explained: “Streaming services in today’s market have a vast wealth of data to collect and understand. Apps are available across a fragmented ecosystem of mobile, connected TV (CTV), gaming consoles, and other connected devices. Today’s users are represented by an array of linked devices; a campaign on mobile may drive outcomes on CTV or web, just as a CTV campaign can drive conversions in your mobile app. Making sense of all of this is no easy feat.” 

Below, Jason and Jessica outline five top tips for measurement and user acquisition strategies on streaming apps.

1. Measure what matters   

Hicks said: “Wherever your streaming service is available to users, measure it. Any gaps in your measurement strategy will create blind spots and subsequently blur your true understanding of how your growth and engagement campaigns impact user actions. Streaming services measure their apps across mobile, tablet, desktop, gaming console, CTV, and OTT streaming sticks and boxes. 

“For measurement, streaming services can tap into a robust library of software development kits (SDKs) that enable out-of-the-box measurement across connected devices, unifying all of a brand’s streaming app engagement data into a single dashboard.” 

  1. Enable cross-device identity resolution  

Hicks continued: “In the modern world the average consumer interfaces with multiple connected devices across their experience. This means that streaming apps need effective identity resolution, which is the process of combining data from multiple sources to create a single, comprehensive user profile. 

“A user could consume content on their connected TV, mobile device, tablet, computer, gaming console, and more. Referring back to the previous metadata tables, passing a privacy-first user ID within event metadata is an effective way to join user-level engagement data across all touchpoints, rather than viewing engagement in silos by individual devices and platforms.  

“By implementing tools for identity resolution, marketers gain a more holistic view of the user journey to better deliver personalized and relevant content, experiences, products, and services to their customers. It also provides vital intelligence for informing omni-channel marketing strategy.” 

  1. Ensure frictionless registration pathways and easy onboarding.

Dudley said: “Always pay attention to seamless device compatibility. Users may want to sign up on mobile but start streaming on a tablet or on CTV apps. Make the process as easy as possible to ensure a smooth transition.”  

  1. Don’t sleep on mobile re-engagement.

Dudley continued: “Introducing re-engagement campaigns on mobile can encourage churned users to renew or unpause their subscriptions. Especially as user acquisition costs rise sharply in key markets, re-engagement is a proven way to increase revenue without relying exclusively on new users.” 

  1. Run special promotion campaigns for new or top-rated content alongside evergreen campaigns.

Dudley said: “Promotion campaigns can reach niche audiences and re-engage audiences that have churned. Run them alongside evergreen content to have a year-round benchmark for comparison. As an added benefit, you don’t have to touch the winning ad creatives you’ve already optimized for success. If you already run promotions through other channels, consider increasing their reach by adapting your campaigns for mobile.” 

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

AI assistants set to pull people away from using branded apps as on-device consolidation looms
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By 2027 mobile app usage will decrease by 25% due to AI assistants – instead, smartphone users will turn to AI assistants, such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and others to replace apps for many functions.

That’s according to analysts at Gartner, who say in addition to the impact of AI assistants, apps will be consolidated across separate brands and companies, creating mobile app partnerships or consortiums to reach more users per app at scale and defray the cost of creation and maintenance.

“CMOs should begin scenario planning for the impacts of decreased mobile app usage,” saidEmily Weiss, Senior Principal for the Gartner Marketing Practice. “Brands with low app engagement and retention will likely be first impacted – this will be a positive development for brands that are not overly reliant on driving revenue via apps as app development costs will decrease. Other brands may be severely impacted by the disintermediation of users turning to AI assistants for services. The loss of app users will also result in the loss of first-party data collection and the ability to reach fewer users via mobile push notifications.”

By 2026, Over 1/3 of Web Content will be Created for the Purposes of Gen-AI Powered Search

According to Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey of 395 respondents between February and March 2024, the average CMO allocated almost a quarter of their digital marketing budget to search. Other than end users directly visiting a website, search currently drives more traffic to the average commercial enterprise website than any other referral source. Given this, a loss of search driven traffic due to algorithmic shifts by major search engines would result in tangible, negative commercial impact to any organization.

“CMOs will need to direct their teams to hire talent with a strong understanding of how GenAI, and broader AI influences, impacts the performance of their content in search algorithms,” said Weiss. “It will be important to upskill the function by investing in search and content talent with AI skillsets. These associates will need to have familiarity with creating or optimizing content to train and rank within evolving search algorithms.”

By 2028 Digital Marketers will Move 30% of their Paid Social Budget to Support Advertising and Partnerships on Subscription-based Channels

It is becoming more challenging for CMOs to maintain, let alone grow, their reach and engagement among consumers. This is especially true as consumers shift their tech and media behaviors away from social media, to other platforms and subscription based channels. Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend survey found that since 2022, paid social has maintained the highest budget allocation for all digital media spend. In 2024, B2C Marketing leaders reported allocating 14.3% for their digital channel budget to social media advertising (an increase from 12.3% in 2023).

“Closed group communities and subscription channels offer a potential alternative for social media weary consumers and content creators who want to do more than feed the algorithm,” said Weiss. “Brands can leverage closed-group subscription channels – such as Substack, Patreon, and Discord – and the professional creators on them to reach relevant target audiences who are already engaging with content they self-selected into consuming.”

By 2027, 85% of Customer Data will be Collected from Automated Interactions or Those Led by AI Agents

Current AI models, such as large language models (LLMs), lack the agency to autonomously execute tasks and adapt in complex environments. However, as new levels of intelligence are added, new AI agents are poised to quickly become more capable and reliable as brands seek to address customer facing use cases.

“There will be more AI agents than people, so while current approaches require humans in the loop, this idea will quickly become antiquated. Marketers will need to determine when and how they can trust AI agents to act on behalf of the brand and customers across key areas,” said Weiss.

Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash

Retailer apps boom as consumers seek deals
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A global survey has indicated more consumers are turning to retailers’ mobile apps to streamline in-store shopping experiences and score personalised offers and deals.

Across 11,000 consumer respondents surveyed by Airship, 78% are using retailers’ mobile apps either more often or about the same as last year.

This preference for retail apps extends across age groups and household income levels. Generationally, 81% of millennials and 79% of Gen X report using retail apps more or about the same as last year, followed by 72% of both Gen Z and boomers.

High household incomes lead in regular use of retail apps at 82%, followed by 79% of medium and 75% of low income levels.

When asked about 10 different activities one might use their smartphone to accomplish while shopping in-store, using the retailer’s app grew the most year over year. Globally, 74% of respondents said they are likely to use the brand’s app when shopping at its physical storefronts.

For most countries and generations, the likelihood of using a retailer’s app while shopping in-store is only a few percentage points behind visiting the retailer’s website despite first having to download apps from the App Store or Google Play.

Airship says the data suggests that inflation and the current economy is driving more deal-motivated behaviors from consumers. It also demonstrates an opportunity for retailers to expand customer understanding as shoppers are more motivated to share personal information in exchange for valuable offers and convenient experiences that better meet their needs.

“Today’s consumers are increasingly turning to mobile apps from their favorite retailers to score deals, gain special access and improve their overall customer experience, particularly while shopping at brick-and-mortar stores,” said Thomas Butta, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Airship. “As marketing budgets are pinched and consumers face economic pressures, retailers need greater agility to create and optimize valuable app experiences that grow customer understanding and reward them individually, making life easier and better for everyone involved.”

Brands ‘facing battle to stand out’ in mobile marketing space
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By Adri Gil Miner, CMO of Iterable

Love is always in the air during February, and consumers are turning to digital like never before. Working from home and socially distanced, consumers’ increased time spent online dating; research from App Annie found consumers spent over $3 billion on dating apps in 2020 – up 15% YoY. It’s clear that consumers want to invest in romance, but how can brands woo shoppers in a sea of similar offerings?

First, get noticed. These days, everyone has a phone in their pocket, so, as a brand, being able to always be with the customer is a huge plus for marketers. Mobile is a medium for engagement that marketers can’t afford to ignore. Of course, the power of mobile is only potential; for marketers to ensure they are getting the most value out of mobile, it’s important they focus on meeting customer expectations by building trust, delivering value, and constantly connecting experiences. New research from Iterable finds that while 33% of participants download a new app weekly, 48% use only 4-6 apps on a daily basis, leaving brands in a battle for users’ attention.

Competition and consumer app attention only escalates when it comes to dating. During the pandemic, online dating reached new heights — with Bumble reporting a 70% increase in video calls and Tinder exceeding 3 billion swipes in one day in March 2020. But that was in 2020. By now, engagement preferences have changed, rendering traditional dating app actions like “swiping” obsolete. Iterable’s research finds that consumers are split on their preferred method of engaging with a brand, with 38% preferring push notifications, 31% favouring SMS alerts and 26% preferring in-app messaging. With such an array of preferences, an omnichannel strategy that is optimised for each individual customer is vital for brands looking to engage with their customers in the manner that suits them best.

Fine-tuning and rethinking the user experience is a great way for dating apps to stand out in  a sea of similarity. But now, in an internet-based world, brands are faced with the challenge of digital sameness—the customer experience across dating apps has become pretty uniform. In a Forrester survey, consumers were asked how they feel about the experiences they have with brands. The results? 68% of customers said their customer experiences were “OK”. Brands are likely thinking “we’re doing what everyone else is doing, so that’s good right?” Living in this safe, comfortable area is problematic for brands looking to win customer hearts and minds. All it takes is one brand to go above and beyond to shift the expectations and turn satisfactory experiences into not-so-satisfactory.

Once you ensure your brand is doing what it can to stay on the cutting edge of a great—not good—customer experience, seal the deal of long  term loyalty by investing in another priority for shoppers: privacy, which is especially key to consumers when it comes to dating apps. Although consumers are generally willing to share data, with 54% happy to do so at least some of the time, privacy concerns are still at the front of consumer’s minds. 87% expressed concern over personal privacy when interacting with apps.

With app downloads hitting 230 billion in 2021, it’s vital brands understand ways to improve app engagement and stickiness to avoid getting lost amongst the competition.

Dating apps, by definition, have considerable influence when it comes to impacting customer joy and connection. To deliver memorable moments, brands need to invest in creating a seamless experience across channels; from personalised emails reminding shoppers to plan for the big day to encouraging sustained communications with connections made online, the possibilities for omnichannel optimised business is endless.

Brands cannot neglect transparency when nurturing customer experiences. Dating apps in particular rely on users being willing to entrust sensitive, personal conversations to the brand’s care. Customers that interact with brands need to have an up-front idea of how their data will be used. Winning this trust early on is crucial for keeping customers board for the long haul.

By utilising all methods of engagement and appreciating the preferences of customers, brands can give their apps the best chance of standing out from the pack and becoming mainstays in the user mobile experience.

When you’re unhappy with a relationship, you break up and move on. If the grass isn’t greener in the other relationship, you go back to your previous partner. Consumers act similarly when it comes to brands. When there is a part of the consumer journey with a brand that positively impacts their overall experience, and then they switch to a different brand that doesn’t provide the same part, the experience with the second brand is viewed less favourably—not because it’s worse than it used to be, compared to itself, but because it’s worse than the first brand’s experience. They gravitate back to the better experience.

Could Snapchat be moving from apps to hardware?
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The photo-sharing app, Snapchat – which is considered to be the most popular social networking platform among teenagers – has strongly indicated that it could be making the transition to hardware devices from apps; joining  a Bluetooth consortium that manages the ‘wireless standard’.

The app, which is reported to have acquired 150 million daily active users, is fuelling speculation from initial industry discussions back in March that experts from Logitech and Nokia had joined the Snapchat team to work on development plans for new hardware products, and is now listed as a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s website. It is thought that they are planning to create a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses.

It has also been reported that the social networking app will be introducing a behavioural targeting tool, in a bid to attract more advertisers. Brands using the social media network to advertise will be granted access to personal user data in order to provide more personalised and relevant campaigns.

Read more about Snapchat’s potential hardware plans here