At the City of London Corporation's Accessibility in the City event, hosted at the Old Bailey by Sheriff of London Deputy Keith Bottomley, small and medium-sized businesses across the Square Mile heard a clear message: the £446 billion Purple Pound is not a charity ask. It is a competitive advantage waiting to be claimed.
Removing access barriers opens the door to a wider pool of disabled talent, allows businesses to retain valuable skills and lived expertise, and creates environments where more employees can contribute fully and productively.
Improving accessibility also reaches new customers, improves products and services, and strengthens reputation — at a time when consumers increasingly choose brands that reflect their values.
The Accessibility in the City event is part of the City Corporation's City Belonging Project — a programme that aims to create a Square Mile where everyone can belong, thrive and succeed, regardless of disability, background or circumstance.
Supporting businesses to become more accessible is central to this mission: wider employment opportunities, better customer experiences, and a City that is truly welcoming to all residents, workers, visitors and businesses.
Accessibility guidance tells businesses what to change. Physical AI, automation and robotics are how they change it at scale — without breaking the budget.
Adjustable-height robotics, voice-activated tools and AI-powered screen readers mean workplace adjustments happen automatically — no HR form, no delay, no stigma. Every workstation becomes accessible by default.
Physical AI guides customers with visual or cognitive impairments through City offices, retail floors and hospitality venues. Automated counters offer BSL video relay, live captioning and easy-grip interfaces — no specialist training required.
When Physical AI removes the physical barriers that force disabled employees out of work — fatigue, pain, inaccessible travel, unsupported communication — businesses stop losing their most experienced people to circumstances, not performance.
The City of London Corporation's event was not about compliance. It was about showing SMEs that good intentions must become action — and that designing with everyone in mind makes better products for everyone.
Physical AI and automation are the lever that makes those intentions commercially sustainable. When assistive technology is embedded in the operating model — not bolted on — the cost of inclusion falls to near zero, and the benefit compounds.
Learn about the City Belonging Project →Accessibility and inclusion are no longer peripheral issues. They are business issues and issues of opportunity — and whether people feel that a place, organisation, product or service is genuinely open to them.
Future of Smart Machines provides the Parliamentary presence and physical AI standards that give City of London businesses the framework they need to turn accessibility ambition into accessible infrastructure. We connect the human case with the automation tools that make it affordable at scale — so the Purple Pound stays in London.
Join FSM and the City of London's Accessibility in the City movement.