With the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, web development is entering a new era. We sat down with faculty Jonathon Leathers in the Front-End Web Developer (FWD) Certificate program to ask how artificial intelligence is reshaping the profession – and what that means for students, employers, and the future of the web.
How are AI tools changing the daily workflow of web developers?
We are at a very exciting time in the web development field with the rise of Large Language Model (LLM) AI tools. These AI models are continually improving, enabling developers to become more efficient.
Web developers who are utilizing AI to its maximum potential are using AI agents like an employee. These AI agents are more advanced than a simple ChatGPT prompt in your browser because they are capable of looking at multiple folders and files at once to understand the context of the project and then when given prompts, they are able to make changes to multiple files at the same time and even download and install files developers would typically have to install themselves.
This means that some things that used to take a developer hours can potentially be done in minutes.
With all these new tools, do we still need human developers?
The word potential is crucial when discussing the benefits of AI.
While anyone can theoretically use an AI agent to build a website or web app, only with the correct prompts, verification, and testing will you end up with a result that follows the best practices for the modern web.
An LLM AI model will not, by default, know how to make the website or web app accessible, secure, fast, and usable to humans. These AI tools require human input at the start and human verification throughout the creation process.
Any company that thinks it can trust the output of an AI model without a human checking the result should have their lawyer’s phone number handy, because the odds of violating an accessibility regulation or experiencing a security breach are likely to be very high.
People must remember that these are productivity tools that lack creativity, empathy, judgment, and even the ability to determine if what they suggest is correct. It takes a human to bring those into the process.
What does this mean for students learning web development today?
Anyone learning web development today should focus on mastering the fundamentals of web development and leveraging AI to become a faster and more effective developer. This is our approach in FWD.
Many people focus on the efficiency these tools provide, but often overlook the potential for them to aid in the learning process itself.
If you are learning something new and getting stuck on a problem, you can ask an AI agent to help explain it to you and guide you through the process of fixing the problem. In this way, it can be treated like asking a classmate for help.
Again, all solutions must be taken with a bit of skepticism, so you, as the person involved, still need to verify the solutions with your own knowledge. This is why learning the fundamentals is still so important. If you don’t know those, you cannot test and verify solutions provided by an AI tool.
Is AI just the latest shift in a long history of web development changes?
The web has undergone numerous changes over the years, altering the role of a web developer. For example, some predicted that the rise of Content Management Systems like WordPress or e-commerce solutions like Shopify would eliminate the need for many developers.
That turned out not to be the case, but the work done by developers has changed. No longer does a small business need to hire a developer to get a simple website online. Developers have now shifted their focus to building systems that non-developers can use, as well as creating more complex and customized tools for specific businesses.
The rise of AI is currently prompting this same process. Many people think that developers will no longer be needed, but in fact, they are essential to utilizing these tools responsibly and to their maximum potential.
What kinds of developers are employers looking for in an AI-powered future?
These tools supercharge developers, enabling them to build more advanced tools for end-users.
As the “grunt work” becomes automated and less time is needed to type code, more time can be spent on creativity. Tasks that were previously excluded from the budget due to cost or time constraints can now be addressed.
Developers will be able to work on new ideas that could be game-changing for the web. Employers are no longer looking for people who can simply code; they are seeking individuals with creative and communication skills who can truly take advantage of AI.