AI Is Making Beautiful Websites That Don’t Work
I’ve spent many (MANY) hours this year thinking about how AI is changing the work I do, especially in websites, branding and design.
I’ve listened to countless podcasts and have tried to learn as much as humanly possible - all to stay as ahead as possible. I would be lying if I said there have not been moments of concern (often deep concern) around how quickly AI may take over certain parts of the process (or all of the process). At the same time, AI already supports my work in deeply meaningful ways, from research to organizing thoughts to contracts and systems. It’s a love/hate relationship, one might say.
What feels so unclear is how soon it will match human judgment in more complex, responsibility-heavy areas… and how soon it will possibly fully take over. I’ve heard that AI will fully take over 99% of jobs by 2030. IDK if it will happen or not. I usually assume worst case & plan from there, so what I’m doing is: going ALL the F in on learning AI, and also ALLLLL the F in on LOVING what I do and enjoying every minute of it for as long as I possibly can.
Last week, a prospective client reached out about web design and ultimately decided to take the project in-house….
A few days later, she shared the website she had built using AI. At first glance, it actually looked pretty sharp. The site was clean, pretty well branded and overall looked polished. As I spent more time with it, the gaps became abundantly clear:
Buttons and links did not work consistently.
Zero SEO, image titles or page descriptions.
No favicon.
Anchor links led to the wrong sections.
Subscription forms went nowhere.
There were no terms, privacy policies or cookie disclosures (yikes).
The site looked finished, but the experience was 10000% not. Conversion would suffer until those details were addressed, and there is also legal liability. I had to balance being like, “wow, I love this!” with the “but hey, BTW, here are some major things I’m seeing wrong with the foundation…”
This is where AI still falls short and where human experience remains SO essential.
When you aren’t building brands and websites every day, there are things you simply do not know to look for. QA across devices, thoughtful user journeys, accessibility, legal and compliance basics and risk awareness all live beneath the surface. AI can generate what looks complete and even pretty, but it does not yet understand context, accountability or nuance. The result is often a wave of beautiful but hollow websites that fail to move the needle for a business or mission. On a different scale, you see this in empty social media captions that are clearly written by AI. They sound great, but have zero human touch, and therefore, rarely convert. Content is becoming so empty and less powerful the more of it we have - especially the content that isn’t even written by humans. It’s sad, but it’s where we are.
To be more positive here though… AI truly is an incredibly powerful launching pad. It closes many gaps and accelerates momentum, but it does NOT finish the job on its own. I repeat: it DOES NOT FINISH THE JOB. When you understand UX, branding and digital strategy, AI becomes a force multiplier. When you do not, the smartest move is partnering with someone who can guide the process, pressure-test decisions and bring the work across the finish line (cough, cough, Ella Creative Studio!).
Right now, users can still feel when something is primarily AI-driven. In regulated industries, missing disclosures or improper implementation can also create very real reputational risk. AI itself is not the issue (I am not anti-AI!). The risk comes from using it without enough knowledge or without the right partner, which often leads to half-built products that overlook the human experience.
AI is just a tool.
At this stage, I see AI as a tool, similar to Canva, Notion or any other platform that lowers barriers to entry. Access to tools does not equal guaranteed quality outcomes. :) I.e. Just because you can use Canva does not make you a great designer.
Anyways. Rant over. If you built something on AI and are looking for a partner to ensure it actually works not just functionally, but for the end-user, we’d love to support you. Adding soul and a human touch is kind of our thing. Get in touch here.
*To be clear, none of this is to put down the prospect’s site - maybe she had plans to QA later & address those gaps. This is not a critique of her or her work. The site looked good, just wouldn’t convert as-is because so many of the buttons don’t work.
