INCLUSION, ACCESSIBILITY AND DIGITAL DIVISION IN EDUCATION WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence in educational contexts has increased the possibilities for developing resources aimed at accessibility, personalization, and the reduction of certain barriers faced by students with different needs. Text-to-speech tools, automatic captioning, image description, content adaptation, virtual assistants, accessible interfaces, and multimodal content production are examples of applications that may foster greater participation in educational processes. However, these possibilities coexist with inequalities in access to infrastructure, limitations in teacher education, digital accessibility barriers, risks of algorithmic bias, and unequal conditions of participation in digital culture. This chapter aims to analyze the possibilities and contradictions related to the use of Artificial Intelligence in promoting educational inclusion and accessibility, with particular attention to the effects of the digital divide on the realization of these possibilities. The study adopts a qualitative, bibliographic, and exploratory approach, based on scientific articles, dissertations, books, and documents addressing inclusive education, accessibility, digital technologies, and Artificial Intelligence. The analysis indicates that AI can expand educational resources and forms of participation, but its inclusive potential depends on material, pedagogical, professional, and ethical conditions. It concludes that technological innovation and inclusion cannot be regarded as equivalent, since potentially accessible technologies may reproduce inequalities when implemented without adequate infrastructure, teacher education, participation of people with disabilities, and an institutional commitment to equity.