Take yourself back to the 80s, a decade that saw great socioeconomic change thanks to advances in technology and what some argue was a huge turning point for globalisation. However, many of you will also remember terrible internet connection and websites consisting of nothing, but plain pages of text, lacking images, buttons and stylistic font variations.
Now, back in the present day, surfing the web is completely different due to the introduction of coding systems like jQuery. These systems provide us with complex combinations of audio and visual content, allowing developers to design an experience rather than pure information for whoever lands on your page!
Every day millions of pounds are spent by companies dedicated to searching for the best designer to create the ‘perfect’ web design, guaranteeing search engine optimisation and successful conversions. However, organisations such as Wix, claim to have formed a new piece of technology that allows webmasters to create professional functioning websites in minutes using artificial intelligence.
This software can generate a website simply after asking a series of questions to determine the nature of your business and type of website needed. Using complex algorithms of logic and coding, AI generates the final website, designed to save hours of manually building websites.
While this is a great alternative to manually coded websites that can take a substantial amount of time to create, the idea of a computer generating your business’ new website could mean many websites using AI start to look the same, losing the bespoke, human element that a group of web designers can bring.
Not only can web designers use their previous experience and knowledge of what provides brilliant user experience and graphic design for audiences, they have the ability to think outside the box. They can also follow-up with more detailed questions, webmasters are more likely to understand the obstacles brands want to overcome and use their intuition to create the website designed especially for a business’ needs and audience. In addition, digital agencies including Square Balloon will offer to continue monitoring your site once live to ensure success. Something AI as of yet isn’t capable of.
On one hand, busy businesses can benefit from the time saving element that AI provides in building their website, however, it’s important to remember that building a website is all this software does. For brands that are constantly on the go or do not have the expertise to maintain and monitor websites and the complicated issues that can arise, AI falls short in this aspect.
As Square Balloon’s web designer, Eoin Oliver, summarised:
"Artificial intelligence runs the risk of everyone copying each other and having the same website. I think it has a lot of potential to be useful for SEO, but the same problem arises, you have to be really clever with how you use AI.”
The algorithm is clearly far from perfect and still under development, however, the question is, can artificially developed websites ever rival the work created by highly trained professionals? Or will the websites simply appear as mechanical, lacking human touch and design?
Let us know your thoughts!
Find out more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harold-stark/worlds-collide-artificial_b_11664470.html
