AI tools in web design work

Many designers now use AI tools for layouts, first drafts and front-end code. The work still goes to a client under the designer's name, so the designer answers for it.

Check accessibility by hand as well

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 are the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) standard for accessible web content. The version on the W3C site is dated 12 December 2024. Testing tools can run some of the checks for a designer. W3C sets out their limits. "Tools cannot check all accessibility aspects automatically. Human judgement is required."

W3C adds that evaluation tools "can not determine accessibility, they can only assist in doing so".

Clients in the public sector

Public bodies in the UK work under their own accessibility regulations. GOV.UK says a public sector website meets the legal requirements if it meets the WCAG 2.2 AA standard and publishes an accessibility statement. It tells public bodies, "You need to include and update an accessibility statement on your website."

The Government Digital Service (GDS) checks compliance by examining a sample of public sector websites and mobile apps every year. GOV.UK last updated this guidance on 30 September 2024.

Review the code a tool writes

A designer can review code from an AI tool in the same way as any other code. The Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) describes its Top 10 as "a standard awareness document for developers and web application security". The current released version is the OWASP Top 10 2025.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) publishes eight principles for secure development and deployment. It says "Third party code libraries or other code dependencies need to be considered in the same light as the code you author."

Some code also carries a licence, and the licence sets the terms for reusing it. The Open Source Initiative keeps a list of the licences it has approved. It says open source licences "allow software to be freely used, modified, and shared".

Client material in AI tools

A client may hand over customer details, drafts or photos for a project. When that material includes personal data, UK data protection law applies to what a designer pastes into an AI tool. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) publishes guidance on AI and data protection. It describes this as "A detailed overview of how to apply the principles of the UK GDPR to the use of information in AI systems."

The ICO says the guidance suits organisations in the public, private and third sectors.

Useful links