Many web designers and web developers have played around with Chat GPT, marvelling at how it can create a reply to a difficult email, write complex lines of code, and adjust its answers based on our feedback. After using the chatbot for a little while though, some pretty worrying thoughts inevitably begin to cross your mind. As this technology improves and becomes more advanced, is there a chance it could take my job?
In this article, we’ll explore the likelihood of AI taking the jobs of web designers and developers. We’ll also provide some hints and tips on how we can effectively use AI to complement our roles in the tech industry.
Artificial intelligence was a phrase that was first coined in the 1950s. Claude Shannon was one of its early pioneers, having created computer programs that could play chess and solve simple mazes. Things have come a long way since then, and we now use AI on a daily basis without even realising it. For example, when Spotify creates playlists based on our music tastes, or when Netflix suggests shows to watch based on our recent viewing.
AI is very much here to stay. It was recently suggested that Artificial Intelligence could be used to diagnose patients and recommend treatments for various conditions.
Within the digital landscape, AI is already being effectively used in online advertising. Companies can use tools to improve paid ad campaigns with AI-generated lookalike audiences and existing data to automatically target audiences more likely to convert. This gives marketing departments much better results whilst cutting down on the leg work.
AI is also being integrated more seamlessly into products we use every day, with Google and Microsoft both announcing plans to create features that allow us to write replies to emails more easily or quickly summerise a meeting.
But this begs the question, will we be needed to answer the emails and will we be taking part in meetings with AI robots?
The short answer is no. AI is a fantastic resource that we can leverage to help automate the more repetitive tasks to speed up processes during our day-to-day lives. Ultimately, within the web design and development industry at least, human input is required to make sure that the websites we create look aesthetically pleasing to the user whilst also having a logical user interface.
AI also needs explicit commands and prompts on what it should create, and the output needs careful analysis and editing to make sure the content is correct and optimised. This isn’t always an easy task for a client without the guidance of a trained expert with a passion for the field.
However, this doesn’t mean we should cast AI aside. Let’s explore a few of the key ways we can use AI to become more productive.
There are lots of new AI programs popping up at the moment, some more infamous than others. They’re each designed to perform different tasks, so it’s important to use the correct software for your specialism.
GitHub CoPilot is a fantastic tool that suggests code snippets to a developer in real time. This can help to cut down the amount of time needed for web development tasks, whilst also minimising the frequency of bugs and errors in your code. CoPilot also allows you to create code using natural language prompts through comments that are entered by the developer.
It is a paid service starting at $10 per month, but you can test it out first before committing to it thanks to its free trial offer. It is a great example of how AI will assist rather than replace developers in the future, by speeding
It’s not just developers who can benefit either. For those tackling a lot of content to outline processes on a day-to-day basis, it can be tricky to ensure the documents are logical and easy to follow whilst using a tone that is engaging to the user. Well, Slite has integrated AI to make this process far less painful. Using Slite’s tools, you can highlight a paragraph and adjust the tone to make it more professional, confident, casual or friendly.
You do need to watch out for those pesky Americanisms sneaking into your work, but it’s great for some pointers on how to improve your writing style. The AI assistant also has the capability to shorten your writing, translate your work into another language, simplify the language that is being used, or fix spelling and grammatical errors.
However, it’s important to note that AI is not a replacement for high-quality, professionally written blogs or landing page content. In fact, if the search engine picks up on your use of it, it will negatively affect your rankings and organic performance, so it’s vital to seek the support of an expert content writer to keep your website’s content organic SEO performance in tip-top condition.
Overall, AI is here to stay, so it’s important we embrace it to increase our productivity. However, AI isn’t likely to replace us just yet. Designers and Developers are very much needed for our creativity and ability to guide clients in creating awesome websites that are easy to use and accessible for all users.
AI just simply can’t compete with the individuality and unique flair that comes with working with experienced web designers and developers. So, if you’re looking for a new website for your business, get in touch with our expert team to discuss your needs and to find out more about our full range of web design, web development and digital marketing services.
Blog by James Harrold, Adao Web Developer.