Can AI Build a Website? How AI Is Changing the Way We Build Online

Building a website once meant long hours of coding, hiring an agency, or wrestling with templates that were never quite the right fit. The process could be expensive, slow, and intimidating, particularly for small businesses and first-time creators who didn’t have the time or technical expertise to spare.

Low-code and no-code solutions, such as WordPress and Wix, have already upended those norms, democratizing the web development process so almost anyone can launch a site without programming experience. Today, nearly a third of internet users have built their own website before, and of those, about 74% used a website builder rather than starting from scratch (All About Cookies, 2025).

Now, artificial intelligence is shaking up the landscape even further. AI can build websites down to some of the finest details, like automating design choices, generating content, assisting with code, and even optimizing for search engines. Already, as many as 93% of web designers surveyed report incorporating AI into their daily workflows (Hostinger, 2025). What began as a shift from code to no-code is evolving into a new model: websites that are co-created with AI, blending automation with human creativity and oversight.

AI lowers barriers and speeds up the build process, but it doesn’t replace the flexibility of robust tools or the creative judgment people bring to the table. Yet, as consumers grow to expect more polished, professional online experiences, the value of streamlined AI web builders is hard to ignore. The shift from manual builds to AI-powered creation is already underway — and it’s changing how websites are designed, coded, and managed.

 

How is AI transforming web design and development?

When people search for “how to make a website with AI,” they’re often expecting a quick template or drag-and-drop solution. But there are AI website builders capable of far more — so much that over two-thirds of business owners surveyed (67.39%) now favor these tools over traditional from-scratch development approaches (Gauss, 2025). AI web builders can handle everything from design to optimization.

Design and layout: Platforms like Wix turn out a polished site draft in minutes, complete with layouts, color palettes, and images based on clear, simple prompts. If web design isn’t your expertise, these tools let you skip the tedious steps and guesswork to accelerate your site build. Wix is also scaling AI across its Studio platform, offering automation and advanced customization to scale with your business. 

Code generation: Developers increasingly use tools like GitHub Copilot or OpenAI Codex to help write common blocks of code, catch errors, and speed up testing. Rather than replacing developers, these tools reduce repetitive work and help teams build and launch websites faster.

Content creation: Producing content is one of the most demanding aspects of building a website, yet well-written, optimized copy is key to getting your site attention and activity. Platforms like Wix can radically simplify the process with AI-infused tools that help compose blog posts, headlines, and SEO-ready content for every page and product description.

Performance optimization: Once your site is live, it needs ongoing maintenance to ensure an effective user experience and strong performance on search engines. AI can also run accessibility checks, SEO audits, and continuous monitoring to help your website adapt faster to user needs.

 

Why are more businesses adopting AI website builders?

As in other fields touched by AI, the AI website builder market is expanding at an astounding rate. Valued at just $3.17 billion in 2023, it’s projected to grow nearly tenfold to $31.5 billion by 2033 — a compound annual growth rate of about 25.8% (Market.us, 2024). Adoption is especially strong in North America, which accounted for 40.5% of global revenue in 2023, thanks largely to demand for cost-effective, efficient solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

With so much buzz around AI, it’s fair to wonder if these website builders are just another passing trend. But the surge in uptake reflects more than hype — it’s being driven by measurable business outcomes that matter to solopreneurs and small businesses alike:

• Lower cost of entry: Hiring developers or agencies has traditionally been out of reach for small firms and startups. AI tools make it possible for solopreneurs and creators to build a polished website and establish a professional presence without major upfront investment.
• Faster path to revenue: AI web tools can cut weeks off design and development, allowing entrepreneurs to launch quickly, start selling, and refine their model in real time.
• Competitive parity: Because these tools don’t require coding knowledge or expertise, anyone can use AI to build a website. It creates a level playing field, where micro-businesses can now present themselves with the same level of polish and functionality as larger rivals.
• Adaptability: With AI-powered tools capable of monitoring performance and suggesting changes, websites can evolve alongside shifting customer expectations without heavy reinvestment. Instead of paying for a redesign every few years, you can adjust continuously in smaller, more affordable steps.

The draw for business owners is simple: AI builders lower the cost and complexity of getting a professional site online, which means they can move faster and compete more effectively. For busy solopreneurs and creators, that accessibility may be the bridge between having an idea and actually launching it. 

 

What benefits do AI website tools offer?

Beyond market growth and adoption trends, the real test of any tool is how it helps people day to day. And it’s there that learning how to create a website with AI offers a range of advantages. 

First and foremost is speed. What once took weeks of back-and-forth with a developer can now be accomplished in a matter of days, sometimes even hours. A faster launch means small business owners can start booking clients, selling products, or publishing content without draining precious time or money up front. 

AI also makes websites more adaptable. Instead of treating a site launch as a one-time event followed by years of neglect, business owners can now lean on AI to adjust their websites in smaller, more manageable steps. Developers also gain more freedom to experiment and test layouts, designs, or features to see what resonates with users. Ultimately, end users get a website that feels less generic and more relevant.

More importantly, using AI to build websites helps small businesses navigate an increasingly competitive online landscape. Customers now assume every website will be fast, mobile-friendly, and professionally designed — regardless of whether it belongs to a solo entrepreneur or a Fortune 500 brand. AI website builders give even the smallest ventures the tools to meet those expectations.

 

What risks should small businesses consider?

As powerful as AI website builders have become, they’re not without trade-offs. The primary concern for many business owners — as in so many AI applications — is sameness. Because AI tools draw from existing templates and patterns, sites can end up looking and sounding alike. That may be fine for a first draft, but competitive businesses can’t rely on cookie-cutter designs and generic copy to build a memorable brand.

Developers face a different set of risks. Left unchecked, AI-generated code can introduce security vulnerabilities, while generative content tools may reflect the limitations of their training and produce biased, inaccessible, or even misleading information. Worse, the same tools that empower legitimate businesses can be misused to spin up phishing sites or malicious content at scale.

On the client side, discoverability is a pressing concern. Search engines are still grappling with how to evaluate AI-generated content, and overly formulaic text risks being penalized or buried. Likewise, some search results now answer questions directly on the results page, without requiring users to click through to a website. This means a site has to offer more value than what short AI-generated summaries can provide on their own.

These limitations highlight why AI tools work best as part of a broader toolkit rather than the entire solution. Over-reliance can leave businesses vulnerable if features change or the outputs don’t align with their brand. Platforms like Wix are designed to prevent that imbalance. Wix gives solopreneurs and small businesses the simplicity of AI-assisted setup, but also the control to customize design, add features, and build a site that reflects their unique identity. It’s a way to get the best of both worlds: the speed of automation paired with the reliability and creative freedom of a proven platform.

 

What does the future of AI in website building look like?

AI website tools are still in their early stages, and the next wave will go well beyond auto-generated layouts or copy. “Agentic” systems are already promising real-time collaboration, where AI agents interact with design systems and APIs to customize sites on the fly. That means developers and designers will likely be able to spend even less time on routine build work and more on creative direction and strategy.

Website owners, meanwhile, can expect increasingly intuitive tools that anticipate brand goals, though they’ll still need to balance automation with authenticity. And end users can expect richer personalization, which will also bring new privacy questions and ethical standards that the industry must address.

As it becomes easier to build websites with AI, flexible platforms like Wix will only grow more valuable. The most competitive small businesses will be those that balance the speed of automation with control to shape a site that’s uniquely their own. 

 

The next era of AI-powered website creation

AI is already reshaping how websites are built, from design and code to content and user experience. Developers, business owners, and end users are all seeing the impact in different ways — whether it’s faster build times, lower costs, or more personalized interactions.

Now, small businesses must learn how to adapt to these changes without compromising creativity, security, or brand identity. With the right tools, solopreneurs and small businesses can leverage the speed of AI while maintaining total control over their most important piece of digital property.

 

 

Sources: 

All About Cookies. Web Builder Statistics 2025: 1 in 3 Have Built a Site, But Most Struggle to Finish. https://allaboutcookies.org/web-builder-statistics 

Hostinger. 28 essential web design statistics for 2025: Key trends and insights. https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/web-design-statistics 

Gauss. 40+ Statistics on AI in Web Design. https://gauss.hr/en/blog/ai-in-web-design-statistics 

Wix. Connecting a Global Workforce with a Unified Communications Platform. https://www.wix.com/enterprise/case-study-weichert 

Market.us. Global AI-Powered Website Builder Market Size, Share, Statistics https://www.wix.com/enterprise/case-study-weichert