AI ‐Enabled Accessible Travel in Autonomous Vehicles: Promises, Perceptions, and Prototypes

People with disabilities and older adults often face many travel challenges when using personal and public vehicles. Significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have fueled the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs), which promise to help alleviate several obstacles and make travel more accessible for the two populations. This chapter overviews common travel barriers experienced by individuals with disabilities and older adults, the two groups' perceptions of and interactions with AVs and shared AVs, emerging travel-related technologies and AI accessibility features, an award-winning universally-designed AV prototype, and future needs in AV accessibility research and product development. The chapter aims to provide insights and guidance on how to achieve greater inclusivity in future autonomous transportation and, in turn, inform research and development activities associated with physical and digital designs of accessible autonomous vehicles.