Rather than viewing artificial intelligence as a technology in and of itself, we can view it as an intelligence that can be integrated with our current technology. Currently, it’s not about whether AI can be used, but how effectively it can be employed for web app creation.
AI’s role in web app creation
Creating web applications with AI could mean one of many things. It might be that AI algorithms are helping generate or review the code, as seen with advanced code completion tools and LLMs. It could also mean using platforms that provide UI/UX design through automated prototyping and heuristic analysis, or straight-up AI template generation. Finally, it could be no-code or low-code AI environments that enable the assembly of entire applications via abstracted development processes.
AI’s role can also be about embedding intelligent features, be it predictive analytics or natural language processing, directly within the application’s core functionality.
And, let’s not forget the creative process of creating a website, in which AI can provide voice assistance, ideas, and recommend some interesting domains that tie into your brand (so long as you use a free domain checker to ensure availability).
How AI is used to build web apps today
Current AI applications in web development manifests through a few different tool categories. AI-Powered Coding Assistants, such as GitHub Copilot and AWS CodeWhisperer, integrate directly with IDEs to offer real-time code suggestions. These are easier to use than LLMs like ChatGPT (which can do boilerplate generation) because it’s constantly reviewing code as you write it and can identify potential bugs immediately – it also lets the developer sit in the driving seat, simply acting as a back-seat driver, rather than being relied upon.
Low-Code AI platforms also exist, which range in use but can be as non-technical as prompt-to-website generation, which is a useful prototyping tool for non-coders. For just the design and UX areas, AI can be used for sketchups and text translation, as well as helping out with the copy in general. Ultimately, you could provide an existing website to something like Google’s AI Studio and it will read your screenshot (of the landing page) and provide feedback, such as text hierarchy, color schemes and accessibility.
The benefits of using AI in web app development
Using AI within web app development workflows can certainly improve one’s output and quality, so long as it’s used appropriately. The primary benefit, of course, is generating code and automating tasks more efficiently and quickly. This does pose some risks, of course, such as building up technical debt by using code you don’t fully understand – that’s not advisable. But for generating elements within a page quickly, particularly in areas you’re already familiar with, it can save time, particularly with prototyping.
This can lead to reduced development costs. If you don’t code, you may usually pay for a graphic designer, UX designer, and other developers to help generate the site from idea to launch. But with AI, it’s possible to generate visual ideas to cut down on outsourcing time. And, those you’re outsourcing to are beginning to implement AI practices to speed up their development workflow (and this will ultimately reduce costs due to reduced labor hours).
The user experience of the website can be improved, particularly when AI is used for personalization, such as an algorithmic feed or predictive content delivery. However, the extent to which AI improves the quality of a website will depend on how it’s used – if relied upon, it could quickly fall apart.
Examples of AI-driven web app development
The practical application of AI in web app development is becoming evident across all industries, though some are leading the way more than others. In e-commerce, AI algorithms power sophisticated recommendation engines. This isn’t so much an application for beginner sites, but it’s certainly prevalent, and it’s causing personalization within the user shopping experience. However, AI can also help generate compelling product descriptions, which is particularly useful when there is a large catalog of products.
Content creation platforms are perhaps the biggest users (and abusers) of AI, in how AI articles are created for drafting articles, generating unique visual assets and blog media.
Perhaps the most common use of AI is in the customer service chatbots and virtual assistants which we are seeing in every industry. While they have more parameters, they’re more adept at understanding semantics and more bespoke queries – and also providing more personable chitchat to users in distress.
Is the future powered by AI?
Creating web applications with AI is done on every scale you can imagine, from prompt-to-launch to simply asking AI assistants to review code and copy. AI certainly has a future within web design, but it will not replace web designers. Instead, it is best viewed as a rapid prototyping tool, quality assurance, and general assistant to improve the speed of some aspects of development and copy.
