When (and when not) to use AI
This is the question I get asked more than any other: should I be using AI for my website redesign? If so, how?
It's a fair question. AI tools are everywhere, promising to revolutionise how we create content and build websites.
But before we dive in, it's worth understanding what these tools actually are – and what they're not.
Defining AI
When people say “AI”, they're usually referring to generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, or similar tools.
While we categorise these as “artificial intelligence”, they are anything but.
What they are is sophisticated pattern-matching machines. They analyse massive amounts of text and return what they predict is the most expected response based on the data that they've been trained on.
That's both their strength and their weakness.
The environmental and ethical concerns of AI
AI has a significant environmental impact. Training and running these models requires massive amounts of electricity and water, and the pace of new data centre construction to meet AI demand means much of that power comes from fossil fuels.
There are also ethical issues around how training data is obtained – it's usually slurped up without permission.
You'll need to weigh these concerns against your organisation's values.
Where AI can actually help
AI shines when you need to handle bulk tasks that would usually require large amounts of human resource.
Let's say you have 10,000 images that need alt tags, or hundreds of product descriptions that need basic optimisation. AI can churn through tasks like this quickly. Will it be 100% accurate? No. But it'll be better than nothing.
We always recommend having human oversight where possible. Use AI for the heavy lifting, but have someone review and refine the output.
Should you use AI for writing?
AI writing tools can be useful, but they require skill and restraint to use effectively.
Here's our strong recommendation: never have AI write entire pages or articles for you.
That's how you end up with generic content that is dull and devoid of character.
Instead, always write your own first draft. Once you've created a draft, use AI to refine what you've created. Ask it to tighten your prose, suggest alternative phrasings, or help you clarify complex ideas. Be specific about what you want.
When using AI to edit your work, ask it to tell you what it changed. That way you can maintain control over your voice, selectively including suggestions where they make sense.
AI is not a substitute for doing the hard work
You understand your mission, who you are trying to help, and what makes your work unique. AI doesn't. AI churns out generic responses based on what it's seen before. It's up to you to create content that captures what makes you uniquely you.
As copywriter Eddie Shleyner puts it, AI is “able to do so much, so quickly – except be human. It can tell you about anything – but it can't express these things in a genuinely human, nuanced way that reflects your specific experience and passion.”
Practical guidelines when using AI
If you decide to use AI, think of it as an editor or a sparring partner and not a replacement for your own thinking.
Use AI to:
- Edit and improve your writing
- Generate ideas when you're stuck
- Help with research and gathering information
- Handle bulk tasks with human oversight
- Help troubleshoot technical issues
Don't use AI to:
- Write entire pages or sections without your input
- Generate images or visual content
- Develop your core messaging or strategy
- Replace talking to and understanding your users
- Build technical solutions without understanding how they work
Always check AI's work
LLMs are notorious for "hallucinating" – making up things that sound plausible but aren't true. They often invent statistics, cite sources that don't exist, or misunderstand context in ways that fundamentally change meaning.
Treat everything that AI produces as a first draft that needs careful checking.
The more important the content, the more critical this checking becomes. Never publish AI-generated content without human review.
Not using AI is fine too
There's a lot of scaremongering around AI. But if you choose not to use AI at all, that's completely fine. Organisations created compelling websites for decades before AI came along.
Your genuine passion for your cause and unique perspective is what will make your website stand out. Don't trade that uniqueness for convenience.