Will AI Replace Web Designers? A Guide To AI-Powered Website Building

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a revolutionary technology that has taken many tech-related industries by storm. Including web development and web design. And as AI inserts itself into industries left and right, people wonder – will AI replace web designers and will it change the course of web design evolution? 

An artificial intelligence system can complete human tasks without any human intervention. For example, it can perform speech recognition, complete predictive analytics, play games, recognize patterns and answer questions. These are just the basics, but AI can also perform much more complex tasks with minimal human intervention. 

While some fear the scenarios of popular sci-fi movies will come to life, it is much more productive to look at AI as the technology that will skyrocket human creativity and boost innovation in the coming decades. OK, but can AI replace humans completely, or is that something we need to leave for the big screen? Let’s dive deep into the topic.

Key highlights

• Although machine learning progresses rapidly, AI technology has yet to replace web developers or web designers. 
• The main reasons AI technology cannot yet replace web designers relate to AI’s lack of creativity and critical thinking capabilities.
• Artificial intelligence can help web designers by taking over simple and repetitive tasks and reducing the time it takes web designers to create an entire website. 

How does AI collide with web design?

As technology evolves, artificial intelligence evolves with it. Today, we are at a point where AI evolves faster than we have expected. With continuous investments in machine learning, artificial design intelligence systems are learning faster and reaching new industries. One of the most popular industries AI has spread to is the web design industry. 

With AI technology, we can now automate many different web development and design tasks. For instance, an AI tool can create websites with little to no human intervention. Does that mean AI will replace human web designers and developers completely? Not today. 

Some of the tasks in which AI systems can replace human designers include writing code, optimizing websites for SEO (search engine optimization), solving performance issues, helping out graphic designers by creating images, and writing website copy. 

These are crucial tasks, yet AI cannot replace human web designers and developers completely. Instead, it can help automate some tasks and reduce the time needed for web design and development. For example, AI algorithms can create website content based on the instructions that human developers input themselves. 

So, as you can see, the human touch, human brain and human intelligence are still needed in the web development world, even with the fast progression of AI, machine automation and the rise of intelligent machines. 

The benefits of AI in web development

Even if some level of human interaction and interference is required to help AI systems complete different tasks, it is clear this technology brings many benefits to web developers and the entire web development industry. Here are some of the key benefits of AI in web design and web development. 

Increased productivity and efficiency 

Artificial intelligence can assist a web developer by completing various time-consuming web design tasks in a matter of seconds. However, it might be most significant that AI can help people who have no web development or web design experience make websites without having to learn or hire human designers and developers. 

Not only can an AI tool complete all the complex tasks that go into creating websites for you, but it can also do them much faster. In the end, you can get a whole website ready for launch much faster than if you were to work with a human designer. In theory.

While AIs are the epitome of efficiency and they can help you boost your productivity, they are not without limitations. Most web developers build AI automation tools to save time, and while they can be helpful in some areas, they are still quite useless in others. 

Reduced human error

Imagine this – a freelancer commits to creating websites for several businesses. They are on a tight deadline, and they are rushing to meet it.

Once the websites are complete, companies pay for the services (if they are satisfactory) and move on. However, website developers and designers can make mistakes while creating websites, which leaves companies in a bind.

Can an AI system solve this issue? AI can write the website’s code, and it is likely to do that without mistakes because machines do not make the same mistakes that humans might make by accident. Of course, given that AI is built without mistakes.

All in all, it is generally accepted that AI can significantly reduce the rate of human error. 

Improved user experience

A website’s user interface (UI) is one of the most crucial elements that can bring in visitors and turn them into long-term customers. So, it is crucial for companies to get as much help as they can and improve their websites’ user experience (UX) and interface. 

Artificial intelligence tools can help you improve your website’s UX by adding extra functions and interactive elements to your site, like product recommendations, AI-powered tools (e.g., chatbots), voice search options.

By adding such functionalities, AI can increase customer engagement, potentially without the business needing to look for the right web designer.

The downsides of artificial intelligence in web building

Like most things in life, AI tools also have a few downsides. Unfortunately, they are quite significant. Even though AI tools offer exciting potential and can help us a lot in the future, they still have a long way to go. Let’s explore some of the key downsides of artificial intelligence in web building. 

Lack of creativity

As we mentioned, AI tools are able to mimic and interpret patterns and repeat them. However, if you want an AI tool to do something, you have to feed it information and provide it with resources so it learns. What does that mean? In short, AI makes decisions based on past data.

Unfortunately, AI cannot come up with something completely new. Whether it is a ground-breaking idea, a never-before-seen web design or a more creative approach to certain tasks, AI does not have human intelligence or creativity, so you cannot expect it to engage in a highly creative process.

In conclusion, AI tools are best fit for handling simple tasks that have a more repetitive nature and, instead of requiring innovative thinking, can fully rely on data, models and approaches that already exist. 

No critical thinking abilities

You can use various AI tools to help you solve certain customer-related problems or answer questions with the help of AI chatbots. But note that this capability is usually limited to simple questions, like providing prices for certain services or giving contact information to clients. 

Thus, if more complex issues arise, AI will not be able to help, and the customer might feel disappointed. All in all, there are still many tasks that require a human to communicate with customers and help them out. AIs do not yet understand human emotions, so it is better to let humans handle that part of the business. 

Are AI web builders worth the hype?

AI web builders are tools that can automate many of the processes of building a website. In theory, AI builders should make it possible for beginners and those without website-building experience to launch websites.

However, just like normal web builders, AI web builders are not perfect. First of all, there’s not much room for customization and personalization when creating websites with AI. An AI tool can only create a simple website that explains what you offer while touching on the industry you’re in, but not much more. It should not be relied upon to represent the brand message or the company’s values, visions and missions. 

AI web builders can also only offer limited features, do not provide website owners with a lot of control, and there is a learning curve for someone using AI to understand how it works. On top of that, AI web builders usually bind a website to a certain platform, which can cause problems if the website’s owner decides to migrate to another platform in the future.

Nonetheless, many AI-based website builders have already emerged, and they are getting better and better. Here are a few popular tools that people seem to favor. 

• Wix ADI ($6-$44/mo): Wix ADI is one of the most well-known AI website builders on the market, and it offers innovative layouts and designs.
• Squarespace ($16-$49/mo): This popular web builder also has AI functionalities that enable you to build a website from one of the existing templates.
• Weebly ($14-$25/mo): This is one of the popular AI-powered tools that offer customizable website templates and features fit for ecommerce websites.

AI vs. professional web developers & web designers: Who will prevail?

Some AI enthusiasts might argue that AI technology can replace web development and web design completely in the foreseeable future, but that is unlikely to be the case. Not just yet. The technology is not that advanced, and machine learning has ways to go.

As you now know, even though AI has great potential to automate website design and building, and it already can complete a number of different tasks, it still does not possess the creativity and critical thinking needed for successful website design and development.

The good news is that every time AI web builders offer more functionality, web developers and designers have more opportunities to create websites more efficiently and successfully.

The goal is not to fight AI but learn how to work with it, and there is no denying that AI can offer a lot. Most importantly, AI can help save time on projects, minimize the need for performing repetitive tasks over and over again, and it can help avoid common human errors.

The WAcademy approach to web design

Even though there is a lot of excitement surrounding artificial intelligence as it can help companies save a significant amount of money, it still has a long way to go and cannot yet fully replace web designers. Why?

AI lacks creativity and critical thinking. Using AI tools involves a learning curve. Most importantly, AI web builders, at the moment, are cookie cutters that cannot yet offer a lot of customization and personalization options.

So, what should a business owner do if they want to build a unique custom website? Should they still try to work it out with an AI web builder? Or perhaps they should hire a professional freelancer or an in-house team? WAcademy interns can offer the best of both worlds – cost efficiency and professional services that ensure full customization and limitless creativity. How?

The WAcademy internship program introduces small and medium business owners to interns who are training and need real-life work experience. We can help you create the website of your dreams, and you can provide our interns with the experience they require. The best part is you can get the creative edge without spending a single penny on web design. 

Ready to take a chance on WAcademy’s interns who know all the top design tips and tricks and get the website of your dreams within 20-30 business days? Click the button below to initiate the registration process, and we will get the ball rolling in no time. Your dream website may be one click away.