We've seen this a few times already, and we know how it'll play out. A little actual change, and a lot of failed initiatives, and resulting clean up work.
AI is just the latest version of "no code", that promises results with little skill. The details required to have a good and accessible web site that works reliably on all the popular viewing platforms, can't be delivered with oversimplified requirements, especially when you through hallucination into the mix.
However, the old saying "Garbage In, Garbage Out" still applies.
suprjami · 5h ago
Both TFA and the article it links to go too far in either direction.
The author of this is a web developer so has a lot more to lose. Yes there will always be people who pay for a human made creative website, but that market has decreased for the foreseeable future. I can't blame them for being hostile and tired, I would be too.
Simply acknowledging criticism of AI then saying "anyway" isn't really an argument either. "So do knives" is bullshit, nobody with knives wants to eliminate interns and create 20% unemployment like Amodei claims.
One thing this makes me realise is that an AI generated web largely stops growing. We've all joked about webdevs perpetually porting to JavaScript framework-of-the-week. If most websites are generated from a set of historical training data and we force web devs to diversify away, then there will be few people left to make a "web 4.0" or whatever version you consider is after the modern web.
Hopefully you like hamburger menus, looks like they're here to stay.
bitpush · 8h ago
> I’m extremely privileged to have a job that I enjoy. My work is creative. The challenges are rewarding. I don’t take that for granted. When I imagine “AI” in the mix it does not spark joy. I tried the tab-completion slot machines; not my cup of tea. I tried image generation and was overcome with literal depression. I don’t want a future as a “prompt artist”. I’d rather pack up my privilege and find something else.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have a craft that I cherish. My work is visceral; the smell of the oils, the feel of the canvas beneath my brush. The challenges of translating vision to a tangible form are deeply fulfilling. I don’t take that for granted. When I imagine computers further encroaching on design, it does not spark inspiration. I’ve seen these digital drawing tablets and "design" software; they feel cold and disconnected, like painting by numbers with a sterile stylus. I’ve witnessed the rise of computer-generated graphics and felt a profound sense of loss for the handcrafted. I don’t want a future as a “graphic operator” or a “filter adjuster.” I’d rather pack up my easel and find something else entirely.
os2warpman · 7h ago
Wacom tablet don’t draw the thing for you.
They, and AI bullshit, are not comparable.
Attempting to equate them just demonstrates the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the techbros behind the ai hype train.
bitpush · 6h ago
Are you sure? I dont remember the last time I "drew" an arrow mark. I hit a drop down, selected the one that I wanted and hit OK. Even if I wanted to tweak it, I double click and tweak the control points. Same for bezier curves. And dont even get me started on typography & icon packs.
How about easy undo? What would a master like Da Vinci say if he saw modern designers iterating over colors using colorpickers? He'd shake his head saying "designers these days cant visualize things in their heads"
tpmoney · 6h ago
And detractors say AI doesn’t draw the thing for you either. “Soulless”, “without human touch”, “tab-completion slot machine”, “slop”, “hallucinations” etc. Seems like they’re more comparable to a Wacom or 3d render/modeling program than first glance might suggest. They make some things easier and faster, but apparently still require a human being to wield to tool with skill to produce art product people are interested in.
scotty79 · 5h ago
To paraphrase Theo.gg
Good creators are set.
Bad creators are screwed.
We are only beginning to see what a talented artist can do with AI tools. Bad ones can't do much more than laymen and are scared and disappointed.
AI is just the latest version of "no code", that promises results with little skill. The details required to have a good and accessible web site that works reliably on all the popular viewing platforms, can't be delivered with oversimplified requirements, especially when you through hallucination into the mix.
However, the old saying "Garbage In, Garbage Out" still applies.
The author of this is a web developer so has a lot more to lose. Yes there will always be people who pay for a human made creative website, but that market has decreased for the foreseeable future. I can't blame them for being hostile and tired, I would be too.
Simply acknowledging criticism of AI then saying "anyway" isn't really an argument either. "So do knives" is bullshit, nobody with knives wants to eliminate interns and create 20% unemployment like Amodei claims.
One thing this makes me realise is that an AI generated web largely stops growing. We've all joked about webdevs perpetually porting to JavaScript framework-of-the-week. If most websites are generated from a set of historical training data and we force web devs to diversify away, then there will be few people left to make a "web 4.0" or whatever version you consider is after the modern web.
Hopefully you like hamburger menus, looks like they're here to stay.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have a craft that I cherish. My work is visceral; the smell of the oils, the feel of the canvas beneath my brush. The challenges of translating vision to a tangible form are deeply fulfilling. I don’t take that for granted. When I imagine computers further encroaching on design, it does not spark inspiration. I’ve seen these digital drawing tablets and "design" software; they feel cold and disconnected, like painting by numbers with a sterile stylus. I’ve witnessed the rise of computer-generated graphics and felt a profound sense of loss for the handcrafted. I don’t want a future as a “graphic operator” or a “filter adjuster.” I’d rather pack up my easel and find something else entirely.
They, and AI bullshit, are not comparable.
Attempting to equate them just demonstrates the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the techbros behind the ai hype train.
How about easy undo? What would a master like Da Vinci say if he saw modern designers iterating over colors using colorpickers? He'd shake his head saying "designers these days cant visualize things in their heads"
Good creators are set.
Bad creators are screwed.
We are only beginning to see what a talented artist can do with AI tools. Bad ones can't do much more than laymen and are scared and disappointed.