How AI Will Affect the WordPress Industry

• Updated on: 2023-03-12
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How AI Will Affect the WordPress Industry
AI is becoming more prominent every day, and there’s no question it will change the WordPress business. Many changes are already taking place. This article showcases what might be different in the near future, as well as what’s happening currently.
You’ve probably been hearing a ton about AI (artificial intelligence), which describes human reasoning mimicked in machines – especially computer systems. Specifically, AI includes natural language processing, speech recognition, machine vision, and expert systems.
In this article, we’ll focus on advancements that pertain to WordPress and what it looks like now that AI has its grip on the industry.
This introductory article covers the following:
Plus, we’ll try to answer the biggest question of them all: Will WordPress Developers Be Out of a Job?
So, adjust those AI-created reading glasses, and let’s begin!
How AI Will Change the WordPress Industry
AI has its eye on the WordPress industry.
Knowing that AI is here to stay, there’s bound to be speculation about how AI will change the WordPress industry. Will it be for the better? Worse? Can AI take my job as a developer?
We’re no fortune tellers here, but we can determine a few industry changes that will more than likely take place. A lot of it has already.
Here’s a breakdown of some of AI’s major changes to the WordPress industry.
Website Building
Machines that build websites? It’s not a sci-fi movie, it’s reality. There are already companies that are in the process of building algorithms that can build websites (e.g. Wix ADI , Hostinger , and Jimdo ).
ChatGPT is also a game changer for WordPress developers. It’s a chatbox developed by OpenAI that uses a language processing model to generate text based on user inputs. Its applications range from making code based on texts to generating content.
AI models like ChatGPT give users access to an AI assistant that works with them on developing the perfect website based on a user’s criteria. It makes determinations about layout, design, branding, and more.
All of this being said, these are pretty simplistic websites. Therefore, web designers and developers are still essential and provide a service unsurpassed by AI… for now.
Machine-Aided Writing
Like website building, machine-aided content creation and writing are on the horizon. AI assistants will create content writing, copywriting, social media writing – and basically all written content.
This article you’re reading right now exemplifies how things will change. Currently, technology isn’t where you can get insightful, meaningful, and engaging content fully produced by AI. However, it’s coming.
And it might outperform current writing tasks by analyzing the best content to include without a human manually searching.
That’s not putting myself or any other writers down, but AI can research articles in a matter of seconds, whereas a writer like myself has to look up various resources – which can take a while.
The good news is that humans can currently put an article like this together and (hopefully) make it engaging, and AI just doesn’t have the creative chops (patting myself on the back).
AI is already implemented to help with writing, including software like Grammarly – which is getting better and better at understanding context, making good suggestions, and ensuring that your words are well written.
This Grammarly example shows how AI adds suggestions and corrections.
There’s also software like Jasper , Hypertenuse , and Writesonic that help create unique articles, copywriting, and social media content by writing it for you. And AI journalism is also here for stock insights, business reports, sports recaps, and more.
Even WordPress is experimenting with some new AI writing content to help write and provide images..
User Experience That’s Customized
As AI advances, it will understand the customer more and more, providing them with a customized shopping experience.
An example is a facial recognition plugin, such as Real ID . Beyond Real ID, there will be plugins allowing AI to suggest products. This will be based on color, size, and brand – whatever would look good on an individual consumer. This will eliminate the need for browsing and can instantly match products.
This takes it further than “suggested items” based on browsing history by knowing what is a good match with an AI assistant. It’ll be like your best friends saying, “Oh, that looks great on you!” Or, “Eh, not your style.”
Customer Service Automation
You’ve probably had automated customer service already. Chatbots exist all over the WordPress community and social media. They learn from various interactions, add answers to their system, and respond automatically. Even when making calls, voice recognition answers questions via an AI assistant.
Even here at WPMU DEV, we implemented AI assistance. It combs through all of our resources to provide the best answer immediately for our members.
Our AI assistant provides information through docs, blog posts, and more.
Customer service automation is even apparent offline, in places like grocery stores. The self-checkout aisle is a good example. It is edging toward the point where humans will be out of the equation (in its current state, it’s definitely not satisfactory … yet).
Along with answering questions, AI can find prospective customers and improve the sales process – plus much more.
SEO Booster
AI can give you a boost in the SEO department. It’s already here for WordPress – and getting better all the time. The days of painstakingly going through your website and optimizing SEO for WordPress are already over.
A plugin like SmartCrawl automatically analyzes your website’s SEO, provides recommendations, and leverages your social media SEO. Additionally, for images, Smush can optimize images automatically.
As AI advances, plugins like SmartCrawl and Smush will, too.
Reduction of Human Error
Humans, of course, make mistakes. We’re wired for them. And mistakes can be costly – especially with WordPress development.
AI will be used more and more to prevent errors by developing flawless systems of coding, security, and specifications. This is another example of AI taking over WordPress development completely.
Machine learning is here to improve efficiency. It can eliminate the need for costly meetings regarding decision-making, for example. AI will already know what’s best, and you can eliminate that hours-long Slack call with a dozen employees.
When decisions by AI are made, it is decided on information gathered and a set of algorithms criteria. So, when programmed well, it can eliminate any errors.
Unbiased Decisions
Humans, driven by emotions, can sometimes make decisions based on bias. However, AI is emotionless, practical, and rational in any decision-making process.
When eliminating biased views, it can disrupt programming by allowing agencies to make decisions on sites they want to build, what to include, and what clients to work with.
Zero Risks
Ever want to remove a line of code but decided it was in your best interests not to in case it would crash an entire website? When AI robots are on the job, they can take more risks without the backlash of losing a job in case of a bad decision.
Plus, they can provide more accuracy with greater responsibility.
So, AIs can be written-up for bad work performance, so that’s good news for developers. However, it can also take a developer’s job, so there might not be any opportunity to be written up in the first place.
Graphics and Images
Part of website development is images; AI can produce images with just a few words of what it is you’d like.
This can also be used when creating websites for clients who need images for their WordPress site, social media, emails, and other marketing. AI generators like fotor , DeepAI , and craiyon are a few examples of companies that can provide this service.
An example of AI-generated artwork from fotor.
Almost anything imaginable can be generated with these programming languages, and the art is becoming increasingly complex as time goes on.
The Upside to AI
We’ve gone over how AI will change the WordPress industry – and much of it is positive. Beyond streamlining web development, AI can:
– Drive down the time it takes to perform a task and enable multi-tasking with a hands-off approach.
– Work 24/7 with no breaks needed.
– Increase eCommerce sales by learning the customer’s needs and catering to them (e.g. like the clothing example mentioned above).
– Make decision-making faster and smarter.
– Save time and energy by implementing SEO practices practically instantly.
– Be deployed across industries.
There are other examples, but AI has great potential in the WordPress business.
Still, there’s also some bad with the good.
The Downside of AI
Of course, there can be a downside to AI as well. And when saying “downside”, that can depend on the context of individual situations and circumstances – so keep that in mind. However, there could be some unpleasant disruptions to how WordPress has operated throughout the years that might not bode well.
Some unsavory aspects will be:
– Unemployment could rise as AI can take over positions in WordPress development, such as with graphics, web building, copywriting, and more.
— Misinformation due to AI not knowing what is true and what isn’t.
– A personalized experience on a human level will disappear if AI performs the tasks.
– High costs can occur when using AI software, tools, robots, etc.
– No creativity.
– No ethics, which we all have regarding our work.
All of this also begs the question…
Will WordPress Developers Be Out of a Job?
As of right now, AIs are capable of churning out websites that are quite limited, basic, and lack imagination. Sure, this will improve over time. However, at the moment, AI isn’t there. WordPress developers and designers are a necessity.
AI is on a trek to form a next-generation workplace that relies on collaboration between systems and individuals. So, humans are essential and not obsolete. If anything, human efforts are strengthened by the emergence of AI.
Tasks will be able to be performed quicker, jobs can be done around the clock, and decisions can be made in a few moments.
A personalized touch on web development, design, graphics, and writing is still needed (and valuable). Additionally, updating and maintaining web design is done by humans.
So… will AI ever completely take over WordPress development?
Fear not — it’s not likely to happen too soon.
BUT…
What you can do as a WordPress developer is adapt to AI. There’s no point in turning a blind eye to AI – it’s here already and will become more and more prominent.
Be aware of AI tools, and get to know them well. Learn about what an AI web design tool does and how it works. Then, decide what tools you can use in your web development business. And finally, practice using the tools until you figure out exactly what it does.
No amount of AI can replace human creativity. The best AI out there doesn’t know what a customer wants. There will be an increase in one-off AI-generated websites now and from here on out, but it’s unlikely that full automation will take over web development jobs soon.
It’s a matter of combining your skills as a web developer with AI – and adapting to this new technology.
Seeing Eye-to-Eye With AI
With AI emerging, there’s a lot of speculation, excitement, worry — you name it — in the WordPress community. But, like everything else, it’s not the demise of WordPress developers, illustrators, writers, and every other job required for good web development.
It’s just a matter of embracing change and working with it. And at the end of the day, if you get on top of what’s coming, you can expand and grow tremendously with the AI resources at your disposal.
Don’t worry about a robot coming along and handing you a termination letter anytime soon. Sure, there’ll be some changes, but as much anxiety as change can bring, try to see eye-to-eye with AI.
Be sure to check back with us soon as we dive deeper into AI with more articles about this ever-evolving technology.
Have you used AI in your WordPress business? What are your thoughts? Please share them in the comments!
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