"Game Changer" or "Overenthusiastic Drunk Acquaintance"? Generative AI Use by Blind and Low Vision Software Professionals in the Workplace

Abstract: The software development workplace poses numerous technical and collaborative accessibility challenges for blind and low vision software professionals (BLVSPs). Though Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly adopted within the software development industry and has been a rapidly growing topic of interest in research, to date, the unique perspectives of BLVSPs have yet to be consulted. We report on a qualitative study involving 39 semi-structured interviews with BLVSPs about what the introduction of GenAI has meant for their work. We found that BLVSPs used GenAI for many software development tasks, resulting in benefits such as increased productivity and accessibility. However, significant costs were also accompanied by GenAI use as they were more vulnerable to hallucinations than their sighted colleagues. Sometimes, organizational policies prevented use. Based on our findings, we discuss the higher-risks and higher-returns that BLVSPs had to carefully weigh when deciding whether and when to use GenAI tools for work.