In just a very short time, AI has fundamentally transformed how we live and work. It's in the devices we carry and the apps we use; it influences the content we consume, and increasingly, it's playing a central role in our workflows. But while the technology has undoubtedly made certain parts of our day-to-day lives easier and more efficient, there are still places where we need to slow down and ask bigger questions.

How is AI Used in Website Development?

For every role a human performs in developing a website, there is now an AI tool that can quickly step in and take over. From technical jobs like coding and bug fixing to creative tasks like layout, images, and copy, AI is being leveraged across all areas of website development. The goal? To speed up production, reduce costs, and improve how users interact with and experience digital content.

But just because AI can do these things doesn’t always mean we should be relying on it to fly solo. Because while AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot have certainly reshaped how web developers and designers work, they are not standalone solutions. A recent report from Uplevel, a developer productivity platform, found 41 percent more coding errors in AI-generated code than in code written by humans. And the Chicago Sun-Times published an AI-generated article on summer reading suggestions that offered up nearly a dozen made-up titles.

The key to leveraging these technologies for better, faster web development is to use them responsibly. Yes, a code-generating tool can help you write days' worth of code in just a few hours, but you still need human eyes to make sure it's functional. Similarly, while AI writing tools can whip up copy in seconds, it doesn't mean it will hit the right tone or be factually accurate. Understanding the uses and limitations of AI in website development gives teams the power to work smarter without compromising quality, creativity, or credibility.

Where to Run: Use AI to Speed Things Up, Not Replace

Code Generation & Bug Fixing

Although not a perfect tool, with attentive human oversight, AI coding tools like Copilot can add a ton of value and help streamline some of the more monotonous and repetitive tasks in coding, like generating boilerplate code. It's also a great resource for testing and identifying common bugs. The key here is oversight. Even the best AI tools will, at some point, hallucinate or produce inefficient code. Without a skilled developer reviewing the output, critical errors can make it into production, resulting in broken features, performance flaws, or major security issues.

The takeaway: AI is a great tool for helping with some of the more tedious coding work, but it still requires a human to drive the process. Becoming overly reliant on AI coding is a slippery slope that can lead to sloppy and potentially risky code.

Wireframing and Layout Suggestions

Does your landing page look better with a grid or column layout? Is there something missing from your design? You can manually test both or use an AI tool like Uizard or UXPilot to spin up wireframes in seconds. A lot of design is about trial and error before you land on a layout that works. And this takes developers a lot of time to prototype. AI tools for UI generation are very useful, especially in those early stages when teams are looking to test layout options or explore different user flows. They make A/B testing faster and easier, allowing designers to visualize changes before they commit time to high-fidelity designs.

But AI can't do it alone. Human developers are still the creative force behind these designs, bringing an intuitive sense of what feels good to users—and, more importantly, what doesn't.

Where to Walk: Let AI Help, But Don’t Hand Over the Reins

Content Generation

Few industries have adopted AI into their workflows faster than content creators. When writing assistants like ChatGPT first launched, everyone jumped on board. However, now that the technology has been available for a while, we can see the cracks forming. Because as sophisticated as these writers have become, they lack one key ingredient: a human voice.

Why does that matter as long as the content it’s producing is grammatically correct and relatively informative? Think back to why we’re writing this content in the first place—to connect with audiences. Without a voice, all the words on the page are doing is filling space; there’s no emotion, no personality, and no perspective.

Now, that’s not to say that these AI writing tools don’t have a place—they just need to be used correctly. Writing assistants can be great at helping to generate outlines, offer catchy headline options, or even produce your meta tags, as long as a human takes over from there to fact-check, refine, and transform rough drafts into something that feels more authentic and relatable.

Branding & Marketing

Human communication is highly nuanced. Your tone, word choice, or even something as simple as a comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence. And this nuance extends to your branding. It's not just what you say—it's how you say it. AI can mimic tone to a degree, but the outputs are often generic or even a little robotic. Worse, it can completely miss the mark on culturally complex topics or just make stuff up entirely.

Good branding is the foundation of your business. It establishes who you are and what you stand for. Can that information really be trusted if it was generated by an AI prompt? The same goes for your marketing strategy. Storytelling is emotional, deliberate, and, most importantly, human. While AI can assist with brainstorming taglines or writing variations, crafting truly on-brand messaging requires deep human insight and real-life experience.

Proceed with Caution: Where AI Can Go Off the Rails

Legal, Ethical, and Copyright Risks

Most generative AI models were trained on, and continue to absorb, massive data sets pulled from the open web, a lot of which is copyrighted material. If you're using AI to generate images, copy, or even code and not vetting the results, you could be walking into an IP minefield.

Regulation is still trying to keep up with the breakneck pace of AI adoption, and the legal landscape remains murky. In the meantime, the best way to protect your business from potential legal challenges related to copyrighted material is to carefully review and verify all AI-generated content and set clear internal guidelines for using AI within your organization. If you're not sure if something is safe to use or publish, it's best to hold off.

Misinformation & Hallucinations

AI writing tools are notorious for confidently serving up wrong information. Often, it's harmless, and sometimes, it's hilarious—like the viral example of Google AI telling users to eat rocks. But if these "hallucinated" facts or made-up stats were to land on your published site, you're risking your credibility and reputation. Worse, if these inaccuracies are related to high-stakes topics like health, finance, or legal advice, you could be spreading misinformation that impacts real lives and carries legal ramifications.

It’s crucial to fact-check all AI-generated content, especially if it touches on sensitive subjects. Remember, AI writing tools are a starting point, but no content should make it past draft without being reviewed and verified by a real person.

If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Join ’Em—But Be Smart About It

Generative AI tools are out of the box, and there’s no going back. We can feel any type of way about how this technology is going to impact our lives and work, but the reality is it’s already here, and it’s moving fast.

Instead of being overwhelmed, resistant, or upset, think of AI tools as the next level of evolution in the digital workspace. Developers were already using vast libraries of open-source code to help streamline the development process, and writers were already leaning on tools like grammar checkers and content templates to improve efficiency.

AI is simply the next step. But like any tool, its power lies in how we use it. Be critical. Be curious. Use AI to move faster and work smarter, but never let it replace the human creativity, empathy, and perspective that gives your work its real value.