We Asked The Experts: How Has ChatGPT Affected Web Development?

The integration of ChatGPT into web development has been a topic of much discussion among industry experts. In an environment where efficiency and innovation are key, ChatGPT stands as a transformative tool for web developers.

This AI-driven technology, known for its natural language processing, deep learning algorithms, and neural network capabilities, has been reshaping the way developers approach various aspects of web development. We have gathered comments from expert who speak on how ChatGPT has affected web development since its launch in 2022.
 

Our Experts:

 
Darren Griffin, Web Developer, StrategiQ
Chelsea Hopkins, Social Media and PR Manager, Fasthosts
Carl Hewitt, CEO & Co-Founder, Hewitt Matthews
Seb Dean, Director, Imaginaire
David Brooks, SVP of Evangelism at Copado
Daniel Clayton, VP, Security Operations, Expel

Darren Griffin, Web Developer, StrategiQ

“Since its launch, ChatGPT has become a household name and let’s face it, buzzword, but it’s been widely embraced nonetheless and is used by many. Opinions about it vary greatly within the developer community. Some see it as an indispensable tool and feel that perfecting its implementation is a fundamental skill to have, whereas others see it as a potential threat to jobs and nothing more than an inflated trend.

In web development, ChatGPT has transcended the realm of standard chatbot responses. It’s now capable of providing tailored interactions that align with brands, significantly enhancing user engagement.The implementation of AI-driven hyper-personalization requires a considered approach to data privacy and ethical considerations. Web developers and organisations should therefore be transparent about the ways in which data is used and obtained when AI is involved.

Despite the challenges and negative press, ChatGPT has firmly established itself within the tech landscape and is poised for longevity. Its influence in web development is substantial, allowing developers to solicit code and receive assistance with troubleshooting. Within development platforms, AI extensions can even provide an autofill like function which has proved to be an irreplaceable tool. However, caution is necessary as it is not without fault and can occasionally introduce errors which an untrained eye could easily overlook.

Moreover, OpenAI’s API (Application Programming Interface) simplifies the integration of AI models, facilitating their utilization in various business and client projects. While competitors like Grok and Google Gemini exist, the rise of LLMs (Large Language Models) empower users to customize models locally, provided they have the necessary hardware capabilities.

It’s also important to emphasize that the adoption of AI in web development is exciting for sure but not a fail-safe ticket to the future. Constant vigilance, trend awareness and skill is necessary in order to harness the tool in an effective and safe way as it can confidently provide incorrect information, especially on unfamiliar subjects.”

Chelsea Hopkins, Social Media and PR Manager, Fasthosts

“The fact ChatGPT has the capability to generate an entire website from scratch is a clear indicator of the capabilities of its technology when it comes to web development – effectively shouting at devs to use it. Its ability to quickly write code and even proof your own is a game changer for an industry where people are often overworked or under very strict deadlines, streamlining the process massively if used correctly and allows developers more freedom to work on other aspects of site creation.

It’s far from advised to have a tool like ChatGPT develop your whole site single handedly – as it’s still prone to errors as well as being unable to specifically tailor the site to your needs – but many devs have already introduced it into their standard workflow to carry out more menial tasks.

While ChatGPT takes some of the burden and allows web devs to spend more time on the creative side of things, it’s no stranger to this aspect of the industry either. From recommending design ideas to implementing them itself, ChatGPT can be a great creative force to inspire your own work.

You could use its recommendations to design the site from scratch, or have it do the design work for you to use as a basic template to work from and custom tailor to client needs. We’re already seeing how valuable of a resource it can be, and there’s certainly plenty more to come.”

Carl Hewitt, CEO & Co-Founder, Hewitt Matthews

“ChatGPT has affected web development in the same way that AI has affected a lot of tasks. Which is the same way that automation affected manual labour jobs historically. That is to be a catalyst in freeing up time and elevating Developers up the value chain by carrying out the most time consuming tasks on their behalf, and allowing the experts to focus more energy on the 20% of their time that currently drives 80% of their value. For example, tasks such as debugging, testing and QA can also be hugely sped up with the correct usage (but not reliance) on ChatGPT.

That said, I do think that one of the undervalued benefits of ChatGPT for web development is its use as an educational tool. We’ve already seen examples of ChatGPT providing quick solutions to problems which have taught our development team new solutions to problems which we have then carried forward to future projects and applied the solution to similar situations.”
 

Seb Dean, Director, Imaginaire

“ChatGPT has greatly impacted web development and all those working within this industry. It has led to advanced chatbots and virtual assistants that engage with users effectively. Content creation is now automated, saving time and ensuring quality. Personalisation is improved through user data analysis whilst language translation and voice interfaces make websites more accessible and user-friendly, offering benefits for both the developer and the customer. Although many marketers and developers have their questions and concerns, there’s no doubt that Chat GPT does offer efficiency, ease of work and simplified methods of communication.”

David Brooks, SVP of Evangelism at Copado

“Using Generative AI for code is not only the most significant development in DevOps for the past few years, it points the way for where DevOps is going in the future as well. The use of a copilot for writing code is a major industry shift.

Increasing developer productivity is key to meeting the demands of digital transformation in the enterprise. Not only will automated code generation make experienced developers more efficient, but it will open the door for low coders to create applications that include code snippets as well. In the past, low coders were restricted to creating solutions with the point and click tools provided by their platform of choice. Flow builders can only go so far before you need to interface with an API to complete the job. With a generative AI, if admins need automation as part of their solution, they will just have to ask their copilot.

This will have two downstream impacts. First, testing will become much more important. The second impact will be that agile planning will take on a much bigger role.”

Daniel Clayton, VP, Security Operations, Expel

“ChatGPT has already shown its tremendous value in making businesses and the workforce more efficient and effective with certain tasks. However—like any innovation—it doesn’t come without risk. With so many companies seeking to take advantage of ChatGPT and the other available generative AI, the risk of inadvertently oversharing sensitive intellectual property or information is significant—making businesses vulnerable to not only employee misuse, but also providing an uncharted attack avenue for cyber criminals.

Technology is never simply good or bad, as every innovation brings its own set of new and unknown risks. It is important that organisations and individuals alike understand those risks and act accordingly before taking advantage of its benefits.”