How AI will take over web design… or will it?

Picture a world where robots have taken over every aspect of our lives, including web design. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right?

The recent rise of AI technology has a lot of people around the world wondering — Am I going to lose my job? But the answer is a bit complicated, and the issue is too nuanced to respond with a simple yes or no. The truth is, while AI tech as it exists today in 2023 can add a lot of value, it’s unclear where that value turns into success. These complications are especially true in creative fields, such as AI in web design. 

With this in mind, let’s discuss what the future of web design looks like in a world where artificial intelligence is gaining the ability to participate in creative processes. 

The Current State of AI in Web Design

AI technologies are rapidly changing industries as you are reading this article. Each second, artificial intelligence programs are learning from text and images to try to replicate human thoughts and human design. These programs are able to be used to help contribute toward web design, create mockups, and even inspire. 

Before 2023, AI replacing web design seemed like a far-fetched idea. However, with the emergence of technologies like ChatGPT and Canva AI, the future is becoming the present. These technologies are more advanced and more accessible than AI has been in the past. ChatGPT especially has grown popular with concerns of the program being used instead of work by real humans in almost every industry, including web design.  

Of note, Canva AI is able to easily conjure images associated with keywords of a designer or basic user’s choice, eating away crucial collaboration work for original images with graphic designers. Additionally, Canva AI Magic Write drafts copy that can be used on websites with just a few simple instructions. Users have been particularly impressed with Canva’s new AI features, according to Forbes. 

Technology is more advanced than it ever has been before. As humans continue to rely on technology, it only looks like this trend of AI usage will continue. But what will happen to web design? You would think that AI like this can simply replace a designer with a few clicks and a couple of keywords, right? 

AI-powered tools and platforms have already begun making waves in the web design industry. From automatically generating colour schemes and fonts to creating responsive layouts and suggesting design elements, AI has undoubtedly become a valuable asset. These tools help streamline the design process, allowing human web designers to focus on more creative and strategic tasks, while AI takes care of the repetitive and time-consuming aspects.

The Limitations of AI in Web Design

Like all newer technologies, AI isn’t perfect. In fact, AI cannot make websites from scratch at this time, which means that AI can’t make you a fully designed, fully functional website like a web designer can. 

However, as we mentioned, AI can tackle some of the components. It can brainstorm, find images, and write basic copy. These are all tasks that a web designer typically performs during the course of designing and building a website for a client. 

Though AI technologies can certainly tackle a portion of the workload of a web designer, AI is not yet able to relate to others on a human basis. As well, the work that AI performs is not perfect—it still must be checked by a human designer. 

Problems with Personalization and Understanding

Additionally, there is a degree of accuracy that tech like ChatGPT just cannot perform. For example, ChatGPT is not connected to the internet, which means it cannot provide information in real time. The AI needs to be taught information before it can provide it, which makes it difficult to use when you need to cite sources or are trying to write about something ChatGPT isn’t familiar with. 

Another key limitation of AI in web design is a lack of human emotion. Let’s discuss the importance of human involvement in the web design process. Most copy and writing that ChatGPT performs does not have empathy, feeling, or an understanding of how certain words may make people feel. This lack of understanding comes from ChatGPT’s limitations and also the fact that ChatGPT needs to be trained to generate content. 

The purpose of a website is to connect to a human audience. Bad websites are built without a human element — which is why web designers must beware of heavily relying on AI when making their designs. They are bad not because they are ugly but because they don’t connect to people. 

AI vs. Human Web Designers: The Unbeatable Power of Human Creativity

The Role of Empathy in Web Design

Human-centred web design has been the norm for many years and was established in an effort to solve human issues from a person-to-person perspective. Building a website that uses empathy to access someone browsing online requires a fundamental understanding of human emotion and human thought that AI can’t replicate at the moment. 

For businesses and brands trying to promote themselves online, a human writer is the best chance of connecting with a brand’s voice, as ChatGPT doesn’t yet understand the nuances. ChatGPT can mimic writing styles, but not how experienced web designers and copywriting experts can capture the personality of a brand, why people connect with a brand, and why they love it.

Additionally, images in web design are more complicated than they seem. Colour design, the personality of font choice, style matching brand, and even customer specifications are all factors that professional web designers take into consideration when making their designs. AI is unable to combine all of these factors to create quality designs that will satisfy most customers. 

Only humans remember advertisements or websites that had a profound impact on them and why. While AI might be able to tell you which ads or designs are popular, the technology cannot make the emotional link that is so often needed in replicating the effects of old designs in fresh, new designs. Thus, AI cannot be used to design a website alone. 

Embracing the Revolution of AI in Web Design

Recognizing the Potential of AI

Despite the limitations of AI, the future of web design will include some sort of AI in web design. With current AI programs and future ones expected to be produced, website builders and designers must prepare themselves for the involvement of AI in their work. One of the best ways to interact with AI in web design may be to embrace the change and use AI sparingly to speed up repetitive or formulaic tasks. 

Copywriters can potentially use AI writing apps to lay the groundwork for website copy. They can also use it as a bouncing-off point for ideas and directions for copy if they are stuck. These little actions add up and can save a lot of time for creatives, especially given how prevalent burnout is in creative spaces. 

As an industry that so closely pairs technology with creativity, it’s only natural that creatives will want to integrate new tech with their creative process. AI is a great way to marry these two ideas together to produce more websites and help create an updated, more accessible internet for all. 

What Do Web Designers Think AI in Web Design Means for the Future of Web Design? 

At UI Rocket, we recognize the potential that recent AI achievements offer the web design industry with image, design, and text-open AI software. By incorporating AI-powered tools and technologies into our design process, we are able to enhance the quality of our work. 

Our team of skilled human web designers works closely with AI to streamline workflows and create more personalized experiences. We believe that by working together, AI technologies and human web designers can unlock new possibilities and create groundbreaking designs. As well we try our best to implement AI in a way that saves us (and you!) time, which makes our services more affordable to a broader range of clients. 

Because of this strategy, we consider ourselves a top agency for web design because of our willingness to adapt to new technologies, rather than reject them out of fear. The key to success in this AI-driven future of web design lies in embracing collaboration. We would never erase the necessary human element of web design, but we are excited to make AI in web design faster and more accessible to others.

Conclusion

While AI is indeed making significant strides in design and copywriting, it is unlikely to completely take over the field of web design. Instead, a future where human web designers use AI in web design to help them create innovative, engaging, and user-centric experiences seems much more plausible. By embracing the potential of AI and adapting to the changing landscape, human web designers can continue to thrive and make their mark on the digital world by expediting processes.

These principles are why UI Rocket focuses on client cooperation so that we can learn what our client’s clients love about their brand! We prefer to start with a phone call to establish a person-to-person connection and ensure that your website design serves you and your needs. 

So, while AI in web design is undoubtedly going to continue, it doesn’t spell the end for human creativity and ingenuity. Instead, the use of AI in web design marks the beginning of a new, exciting era of collaboration and innovation – an era that we at UI Rocket are proud to be a part of.