What’s ahead for the web development industry with GPT4?

The use of AI in web development is not a new concept, but with the recent advancements in natural language processing, it has become more accessible than ever. GPT4, the latest version of OpenAI's language model, has the potential to revolutionize the field of UX/UI design and coding of websites.

GPT4 can be used to generate HTML and CSS code from plain English or visual descriptions of design elements. This means that designers can focus on ideation and conceptualization, leaving the code generation to the AI. This can significantly reduce the time and effort required for prototyping, thus reducing the overall cost of production.

For the time being, the code generated by GPT4 will still need to be edited. For example, integration within a back-end such as a CMS or an e-commerce back-end which involves a higher level of complexity. Nevertheless, eventually, it will be possible to do more than just generate static websites.?

With further advancements in AI, it will be possible to generate complete websites with CMS or e-commerce integrations. This will create a large amount of new market entrants who are not skilled in coding, but can still generate functional websites with the help of AI tools.

In the near term, this shift towards AI-generated websites will affect the pricing structure of web development. The productivity gains from generating static HTML and CSS will reduce the overall cost of producing a custom website, bringing it closer to the price-point occupied by web designers who edit paid themes. In the medium term, no-code brochureware will become homogenous and cheap and of much higher quality despite the dearth of technical skills.

Eventually, this will create more competition in the web development industry and push experienced developers to work exclusively on projects of far greater complexity more akin to software engineers. This higher intensity of competition for more complex work will eventually bring down the hourly rate of even the most experienced engineers.

For example, eventually, it will be possible to generate completely new applications from mash-ups of open source projects found on platforms like GitHub with simple prompt commands. This will further reduce the need for experienced developers and push the industry towards more efficient and cost-effective methods of product development.

In addition, Gen Z users' UI preferences are moving away from traditional websites to chat-based interfaces that allow the search and purchase of products with one tap. This fusion of AI with chat interfaces and e-commerce will make it more important than ever to take an omni-channel approach to serving customers of different generations with different user experience preferences.?

This means that businesses will need to focus on creating seamless experiences across multiple channels, including the web, chatbots, voice assistants, and social media platforms. This is a huge eco-system opportunity for start-ups to create all in one generative platforms that produce unique omni-channel properties with built-in Marketing playbooks for scale up and growth

In conclusion, the use of AI in web development is rapidly changing the industry, making it more accessible and cost-effective for businesses and individuals. GPT4 has the potential to revolutionize UX/UI design and coding of websites and applications with minimal coding knowledge. This will lead to an increasing push upstream for developers to domain expertise long considered as “hard tech” or into start-ups focused on servicing the burgeoning no-code industry with omni-channel growth eco-systems.