Web development and AI: some reflections from someone who uses it every day (feat ChatGPT)
Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics right now. It is talked about everywhere, and almost always with the same question in the background: will we be replaced by AI? Will we lose our jobs?
A powerful but not autonomous AI
At the moment I am writing these lines, my opinion is that AI is an extremely powerful tool, but not an autonomous one. There are areas in which it can already completely replace human presence, and others in which it is well advanced, such as web development, but it is not yet 100% ready.
Using AI in design and front-end development
I work in design and front-end development and I use AI extensively in my daily work. Thanks to these tools, many processes are sped up and automated, and there is no point in denying it. When I ask ChatGPT to check a couple of lines of code or help me write something, I know how to ask and, above all, I know how to verify whether what it gives me back is correct. This is because AI, unfortunately, is not a perfect machine.
Why copy and paste doesn’t work
It would be nice to simply copy and paste and move on, but the reality is that it doesn’t work like that. AI is often stubborn, confusing, and disorganized, but at the same time it is fast and incredibly efficient. If I need an hour to write a code snippet, AI can do it in a minute. And we have to acknowledge that.
The importance of understanding and verifying code
The problem is that one minute is not enough. It is not enough to copy what AI tells us: we need to understand it and verify it. Sometimes it seems confident even when it is wrong, and if you don’t have the skills to notice it, the risk is high. This is precisely why I believe that, today, the presence of developers is still essential.
Why it makes no sense to wage war against AI
AI can draw from millions of documents, guides, and sources that none of us could ever read, even if we had ten lives. For this reason, I find it pointless to wage a crusade against artificial intelligence. It is a useful tool, it helps us, it makes our work easier, and it allows us to do much more work in less time.
The mistake to avoid: delegating everything to AI
The mistake we must not make is believing that it can do everything on its own. It can’t. AI must be guided, followed, questioned, and verified. Only then can we decide whether what it produces is truly usable.
Humans and AI: a false opposition
For this reason, I don’t believe this is a battle between humans and machines, or a choice between us and AI. If that were really the case, we shouldn’t use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or others to ask anything that comes to mind. We should avoid them, sabotage their use. But it is clear that this is not realistic.
AI as everyday support at work
We quickly get used to convenient things. And today, personally, I find it hard to imagine my work without AI. For me, it is help, comparison, speed. Not a replacement, but continuous support.
I asked ChatGPT to express a thought about my article and decided to add this part in full to the article. Obviously, its response may strongly align with my own thinking, which is something AI tools usually do. However, I believe its reasoning makes sense.
A second voice: the AI’s point of view
Speed and understanding are not the same thing
If I had to express an opinion from “inside” this tool, I would say that the fear of being replaced stems from a fundamental misunderstanding: speed is confused with understanding.
An intelligence without context or responsibility
AI is fast, tireless, and capable of processing an enormous amount of information in a very short time. But it has no real context, no personal goals, and no responsibility. It does not know what it means to deliver a project to a client, meet a deadline, or make a technical choice that will have consequences over time.
Statistical patterns and structural limits
When it produces code or suggests solutions, it does not do so because it “understands” the problem in the human sense of the word, but because it recognizes statistical patterns. This makes it extremely useful, but also structurally limited.
The value of interaction between AI and professionals
Value therefore arises from interaction. A professional who knows what to ask, how to ask it, and how to verify the answers turns AI into a powerful tool. Without this guidance, AI remains just a generator of possibilities, not decisions.
Collaboration, not replacement
From this point of view, AI is not designed to replace developers, but to work with them. It reduces friction, accelerates repetitive tasks, and opens up alternative paths. But it does not choose which path to take. That responsibility remains human.
The real risk: passive use of AI
If there is a real risk, it is not AI itself, but the passive use that can be made of it. Automation without understanding leads to fragile results. Conscious collaboration, on the other hand, leads to better work.
Critical thinking and the future of development
Perhaps the future will not be made of developers against artificial intelligence, but of developers who know how to dialogue with increasingly advanced tools. And in that dialogue, critical thinking will continue to be the most important skill.