Although years in the works, it seems like artificial intelligence (AI) came out of nowhere. The technology descended upon the web like an alien spaceship. And we’re all scrambling to find ways to use it to our advantage.

Tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard can certainly help to streamline our workflow. They help us troubleshoot code, build plugins, and conduct research. But it can also be used to enhance your website.

There’s plenty of experimentation underway. We’re in the early stages. But AI is being enlisted to help with everything from improving chatbots to generating blog posts.

Today, we’ll look at a few areas where AI is already being leveraged on everyday websites. Take a look and you might find something that moves your site to the next level!

Note: This article mentions specific products that use AI. We do not endorse these products. Nor can we vouch for their quality or accuracy. As always, conduct thorough research before using them.

Help Users Find What They’re Looking For

The concept of chatbots makes sense. You’re not available to answer user questions 24/7. Thus, these automated features can serve as an always-on customer service representative.

But all too often, chatbots don’t measure up. Their user experience (UX) can frustrate even the most patient among us. Accuracy isn’t always a strong point. And it can take a lot of “conversing” to get what you need.

AI is poised to change that. Several tools have been released that promise to improve the experience.

Take DocsBot AI, for example. It uses your website’s content and documentation to “train” a bot via ChatGPT.

There are a few positives to this approach. First, since it uses your content, accuracy shouldn’t be a problem. That eliminates one of the main drawbacks that AI tools have had thus far.

It also takes advantage of ChatGPT’s conversational skills. Previous generations of chatbots struggled with context. Answers often felt like “canned” responses. AI can create a more natural flow to user interaction.

Generate Relevant Website Content

AI tools that generate content seem to be making the biggest splash so far. It has created a buzz. Enough that some companies have attempted to replace human writers (this writer thinks that’s a bad idea, by the way).

WordPress has been fertile ground for these tools. Several have been integrated into the block editor. Provide the tool with a prompt and AI will do the rest. The best part is that you don’t have to leave your website’s back end.

This could be a huge time saver. There are no guarantees when it comes to quality or accuracy, however. Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend publishing generated content without close review.

But AI-generated text can serve as a great starting point. And web designers can even use it when working with clients.

Waiting for a client to provide content is a common issue. So, why not generate sample text that a client can revise? This could greatly speed up the process. Plus, it sure beats using Lorem Ipsum.

Oh, and we can’t forget about images. AI image tools such as DALL-E and Stable Diffusion can produce compelling results. They might be a nice alternative to run-of-the-mill stock photography.

Improve Your Website’s Accessibility and Security

Not all website enhancements are visible. And what happens behind the scenes can be just as important. Both accessibility and security fall into that category.

Automated Accessibility Tools

Automated accessibility tools have existed for quite some time. They’re helpful for testing during the design and development phases of a project. As such, they’re aimed toward web designers more than everyday users.

But user-focused tools are also available. And AI is beginning to increase its capabilities.

For instance, consider software that automatically adds ALT attributes to images. While it works in a technical sense, it may not provide accurate context. Simply adding generic text to an image won’t help users.

But what if a tool could accurately describe the content of an image? Tools like EveryAlt aim to do this with an assist from AI. It may sound like a small thing. But it could dramatically enhance the UX for those who use assistive technologies. It’s also a boost for search engine optimization (SEO) as well.

A Better Way To Detect Malware

Keeping our websites safe is becoming more complex and costly. And despite our best efforts, malicious code still runs wild on the internet. It feels like a losing battle.

A combination of AI and machine learning could be just what we need. Imagine software that’s being fed a steady stream of new threats. As it “learns” the telltale signs of each attack, it can adjust on the fly to detect the code. From there, it could theoretically stop it from being executed. It might even detect new vectors of attack.

MAL{ai} is among the tools taking this approach. Early models are focused on detecting malicious PHP. But expanding the technology to cover languages like JavaScript is also possible.

Building Better Websites With the Help of AI

A website should provide users with the best possible experience. This means producing high-quality content and making sure it’s easy to find. And it’s also important to ensure that its features are accessible and safe to use. AI can play an important role in all of these areas.

None of this is foolproof, however. We shouldn’t rely on AI to do all the work for us. But it can certainly help. Think of it as a collaborator in your quest to build a great website.

What’s more, the ideas above are all in their infancy. As tools continue to improve, we’ll undoubtedly find new uses for them. Therefore, the little enhancements we make today could lead to bigger things tomorrow.

If you’re an early adopter, feel free to experiment. The knowledge you’ll gain will help you better navigate this quickly-expanding technology.