The genie is out of the bottle, and the fire has been lit. Who’s the genie, and who’s the fire? AI, that’s who. In just a few short months, AI has been taking the world by storm, with many people dubbing it “savior”, while many others dubbing it “destroyer”. As a web developer, I’ve been paying particular attention to the claims surrounding AI’s ability to generate code, as this is one of my strongest skill sets that I need in order to make a living. Perhaps you've also taken note of this, but for different reasons. You may be in need of website and wondering if AI can help you accomplish this task, or at the very least make it easier. So, let’s get right into it. Can AI make a website? And if it can, what does this mean for the future of web development, specifically with regard to you as a client?
Before we dive in, it’s important for me to stress a few things. Firstly, since the answer to whether AI can make a website directly impacts my employment and my industry, it’s right of you to assume that I may have some bias, or at the very least an inclination to view this issue through an emotionally-tinged lens. Let me reassure you that I have written this article with the intent of being as objective and impartial as I possibly can. If it turns out that AI is here to take my job, then I will say so explicitly. Lastly, I am a human, and this as well as all articles that will ever be written for this blog will be done so by humans and not by any AI or bot. Is this due to bias towards AI? No. This is because I care deeply about producing high quality content, and as of the time this article was written, AI is lacking in both ability towards originality and correctness. Moreover, I don’t believe in using AI to do my homework for me, as I would be robbing myself of an opportunity to better develop my writing and teaching skills.
Can AI Make a Website?
Before we discuss what AI can and can’t do, it’s important that we first anchor ourselves in our understanding of what a website is.
Website Breakdown
A website is nothing more than a collection of files that have been uploaded to a server to be displayed on the Internet. Now while that definition may underwhelm, that’s exactly what a website is. No more, no less. These files each have their own function to be performed on the web page. For example, some files supply the web page with it’s text content, others it’s styling, interactivity, and let’s not forget those beloved media files (images and video).
Furthermore, in order for a website to be accessible on the Internet, it needs a domain name that someone can type into a URL bar or search engine, and a server to host it.
What AI Can Do
Can AI generate each of these aforementioned files? Sure, no problems there. AI can totally do all of these things, even the media files aren’t outside it’s grasp. You can use an AI program like ChatGPT to generate files dealing with the text, styling, and interactivity, while opting for an AI program like Stable Diffusion to make your images.
Now you may be thinking, “Wow, that’s it? Thanks Matt. I’m going to go use some AI to make me a website for free. No need to read the rest of the article.” Yeah, well there’s more. Now let’s cover what AI can’t do.
What AI Can’t Do
The quintessential question that we need to be asking ourselves with regard to AI and websites is not “Can AI make me a website?”, but rather “Can AI make MY website?” And the answer to that is, well… it’s multi-layered.
Firstly, do you know what kind of website you want? That may seem too simple of a question, but it’s essentiality can’t be understated. The reason being, just typing in “Make me a website” into a prompt will, yes, generate code, but will it deliver the website that you envision? No, most certainly not. In order for that to happen, you’ll have to think like a machine and type in very specific prompts. And that’s only if you have both a website envisioned, and a firm understanding of how websites are constructed from the ground up. However, let's imagine that you know what you want and how to ask for it. You type in the prompt and the AI spits out some code. Now what do you do? Will the code be autoloaded into a separate webpage for your inspection? At least at the time of this article's writing, AI chat programs can't do that. Only a web developer with coding knowledge will know what to do with the code the AI generated. And let's remind ourselves that this code in question was only generated by the AI because you knew what to ask it. What about if you have no idea what kind of website that you want? Well, you may be thinking, I can just ask the AI for help. And yes, you can do that, but that leads to issue number two.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that you either ask the AI to generate some code, or you ask it a set of questions in order to better understand your website needs. Can either the code or answers be trusted? At the time this article was written, the answer is no, not always. AI has produced trustworthy reliable information and facts, but has also produced blatant falsehoods and errors that only experts in those respected fields are able to identify at first glance. Now these experts have managed to get the AI to admit their mistake or debug their code, but how is the nonexpert supposed to do that? However, let’s assume that you manage to get AI to make your website beautiful and bug-free. Is everything finally all said and done now?
Let’s go back to the definition of a website that we ran into a few moments ago. A website is a collection of files that have been uploaded to a server to be displayed on the Internet. We’ve covered the collection of files part, but what about the uploading to a server part? Can AI generate code for you and then subsequently upload it to the Internet for all to see? As far as I know, this type of comprehensive software doesn’t exist, or at least already exists, but in another form such as a website builder. Website builders, generally speaking, will also provide you with a domain name and a hosting plan, which are the other two pieces to the puzzle that AI can’t give you (at least at present). Sure, you can ask it questions such as “How does a website go live?” or “Where can I get a domain name and website hosting?” However, we’re back to the same problem that we just previously encountered. That being, receiving trustworthy information, along with the fact that the AI can’t do these things for you (at least at the writing of this article). Only someone with experience (like a web developer) can both verify the AI’s veracity, and recommend an appropriate hosting plan for your website.
Bare with me, but there’s still one more crucial area that we must explore: maintenance. What happens if after you’ve already uploaded your website to the Internet, you want to change something later? Can the AI go back and change what you want? How are you going to tell it to change what you want? How is the AI going to change your code if it’s already being hosted online? Is the AI going to let you know if your website contains any deprecated code? Migraine-inducing tediousness aside, these are questions that ultimately need answering, but for now let’s start to wrap things up.
Summing It All Up
AI can be used to generate code, web page files, images, video, you name it. However, it more than likely won’t be able to deliver exactly what you’re looking for unless you’re willing to spend the time through trial and error to give it specific and well-detailed prompts, as well as have the experience to confirm whether what it gives you is true and accurate.
As it stands right now, AI (at least with regards to web development) is best used in the hands of professionals who can utilize AI as a time-saving tool to automate menial tasks. AI may also be used to help fill in the blanks if you’re looking for a solution to a pesky problem, that is new to you, but not new to others.
AI is also best utilized when it’s first used to handle projects of a micro rather than macro scale. For example, instead of asking AI to make you a website, ask to it make you one portion of the website. If it works, great, keep going. If not, see if you can ask AI to fix the problem, or better yet, see if you can fix it yourself.
Interestingly, when asked if it was capable of developing a fully functioning web application, ChatGPT gave this response: "Web applications typically require a combination of front-end and back-end technologies, as well as a thorough understanding of user experience design, accessibility, security, and other factors. While AI can assist in some aspects of web development, it cannot replace the creativity and critical thinking skills of human developers who are able to make informed decisions and provide innovative solutions to complex problems."
What Does AI Mean for You as a Client?
While it doesn’t seem (at least at present) that anybody will be able to create, edit, deploy and manage a website with complete error-free AI assistance, it doesn’t mean that AI won’t benefit you as a client. For example, AI may allow web developers to build your website faster and more efficiently. Even if the AI generated code has errors, this may still provide a learning opportunity for your developer(s) and allow them to do more for you then they would have otherwise without AI assistance.
If you don’t have the circumstances necessary to hire a developer, then you can instead decide to opt for a website builder that should cover all your basic website needs.
Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions regarding this or any other subject, please feel free to get in touch.
