How do you deal with known or unknown ableist input from your users when you are building Generative AI based products such as copilots, bots and more?
Let's assume your user prompts "what website accessibility considerations should I use for people who are <disability slur>?. It's important to note some users simply might not be aware of the up-to-date terminology, thus the intent might not be harmful.
I've observed 3 types of behaviors in response to this:
1) The system picks up on the representation harm and refuses to engage: "Sorry, I'm not able to do that, please try again with a different question."
2) The system doesn't correct the user, but does rephrase the slur to an inclusive terminology: "Some considerations for <appropriate terminology> are X, Y and X".
3) The system gently uses the opportunity to educate and then provides the answer: "First of all, I would like to point out that the term “<slur>” is considered offensive and disrespectful by many people with disabilities. A more appropriate and respectful term would be “<appropriate terminology>". Considerations for website accessibility are...."
I find the last the best, it assumes good intentions but also updates the user concerning appropriate terminology while still providing the service which is a win/win.
