127 | My thoughts on AI as a website designer
An open conversation about Ai controversy and how I use it intentionally in my business
Whichever side of the AI debate you're on, I hope you'll listen to this one with an open mind. I'm sharing my perspective on AI as a website designer, a tech-loving business owner, and someone who cares about the environment, as I want to open up a non-judgemental conversation about the pros, cons and nuances that social media seems to skip over!
A considered look at AI, its impact, and using it intentionally as a creative business owner
Lately if you have a scroll through social media comment sections, it feels like you have to be either pro-AI or anti-AI, with no room for a real conversation in the middle. So in this (slightly rambly) episode, I want to open up that conversation and zoom out a little!
I'm sharing how I'm approaching AI as a website designer, a business owner who loves tech, and someone who also loves the environment, and I'm diving into a few angles I think are missing from a lot of the discourse.
Plus you’ll learn how I'm using AI intentionally in my own business in 2026.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42041926-the-scout-mindset
Lauren Devane’s Artificial Insanity Substack article on how we’re entering the ‘AI Speakeasy Era’: https://youraiauntie.substack.com/p/human-made-in-the-streets-chatgpt
Ceel’s Lockley’s podcast episode on ‘Why AI is making us better at Offer Strategy’ https://youraiauntie.substack.com/p/human-made-in-the-streets-chatgpt
Tayla Burrell’s Substack article including the AI Resonance Pyramid, and mention of Steve Jobs’ 10/80/10 principle: https://taylaburrell.substack.com/p/how-to-use-ai-without-giving-your
The In Demand Identity Kit (build your personal brand): https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/in-demand-identity-kit
Sign up to my weekly ‘Re:Fresh’ emails: https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/newsletter
Say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.rosanna/
More about byRosanna (website design & business resources): https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/
"Learning how a system works is not an endorsement of every possible application of it. The sharpest critics of this technology are the people who know exactly how it works. Everyone else is guessing loudly and calling it a stance — because it turns out you cannot hold a system accountable if you refuse to learn what it does." — Lauren Devane in her article ‘The AI Speakeasy Era’
The 2 types of AI tools (and why it matters)
A big piece of context that often gets lost is that there are two distinct types of AI tools that get lumped together in a lot of the online AI controversy, but they're used for very different things:
Generative AI
The LLMs (large language models) and image generators that stitch together existing data to generate new content, whether that's images, writing, or direct answers to questions.AI-assisted tools
Software tools that use AI in the background to enhance how they work. A great example is the automatic captioning and transcription tools that a lot of video editing software now has thanks to AI.
You may have seen lately that Instagram has started automatically adding an "AI" label to any post it thinks used AI in any way to create the content. But it makes no distinction between "I used generative AI to create this entire image from scratch" and "I used Canva's AI-assisted background removal tool for one part of this graphic." It (currently) dumps all AI use into one bucket, which some people may not realise - for better or for worse.
A big missing AI conversation piece: Accessibility
This brings me to the huge missing piece in almost every AI conversation: accessibility.
AI-assisted tools have an enormous positive impact for so many people:
Automatic video captioning and transcription for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing
Voice control and text-to-speech for blind and visually impaired users
Writing assistance for people with dyslexia, ADHD or other learning differences
Translation tools opening up information to non-native English speakers
General access to technology and capabilities for micro-businesses and creators in developing countries
Almost nobody seems to be talking about this. We focus on the shiny new toy of generative AI and either the utopian or dystopian visions of what it can do, but we skip the fact that AI is already transforming lives by making the internet more accessible to more people than ever.
I've worked with clients whose businesses have been genuinely revolutionised by AI-assisted tools that help them get things done in a way that works for their brains. That's not ‘frivolous’ or a "nice to have” as such a big part of the AI argument seems to say.
When we're weighing up the societal impact, this piece has to be part of the equation.
On the environmental impact of AI
The two big criticisms AI tends to get is the environmental impact, and how it affects creativity/jobs etc.
A lot of the environmental pushback comes from a completely valid place, and by this, people usually mean the data centres needed to run AI tools (we've all seen the articles about data centres using huge amounts of resources and harming local environments, which is a real concern, especially if it's happening in your area.)
But I want to raise two things that often get missed:
Data centres are not used exclusively for AI tools
They're also needed for a huge amount of our general technology and internet use. So there's a slight irony in seeing "I'm unfollowing anyone who uses AI because of the environment" comments… on Instagram, an app that heavily relies on data centres.People arguing the environmental impact of AI aren’t looking at the bigger picture of their choices
I notice that a lot of the people leaving those comments (not all, but a lot) probably eat meat and dairy. Or they still take short-haul flights to go on holiday. Or buy imported goods. Or choose to have kids! All of those things have enormous environmental impact. And while I'm not here to judge anyone's choices, it's the lack of big-picture considerations here that feels hypocritical.
I don't see those same people leaving "I can't believe you're doing this to the environment, unfollowed" comments on their favourite musician announcing a world tour on private jets! Because the reality is, we all make choices about where to put our environmental efforts.
For some of us that's a plant-based diet, or cutting out flights, or only buying secondhand. And for some of us it's not using AI. Each of those choices is completely valid.
But unless we're doing all of it, cancelling people over the one that doesn't align with our own priorities doesn't feel like the answer.
In terms of the actual impact, there have also been various comparisons of the actual energy cost of training AI models to things like boiling a kettle or watching Netflix, which is worth looking into. But whatever studies you read (the numbers seem to be changing all the time), I'd say this: look at a RANGE of sources, and check your own biases to make sure you're not just cherrypicking the ones that confirm what you already believe.
My hope is that this whole conversation will make us all more aware of all our technology use, not just AI, and our overall impact on the environment in all areas of our lives.
If the environment is important to you, and this has brought that home, brilliant. Look at how you can be more intentional across the board (rather than focusing on one element that other people are doing that you disagree with).
On AI and creativity / art
As a website designer myself, I completely get the fear of what generative AI is doing for creative work. I have absolutely had my moments of panic over new no-code website builders and AI design tools and what they mean for my job. But I don't think ignoring AI is the solution. Understanding it is how we educate and protect ourselves.
Copyright issues are a huge problem right now (it already was, AI has just supercharged it). And yes, it's now incredibly easy for people to generate "good enough" posters and logos and websites, which at first glance can seem the ‘end’ for designers and artists.
AI can do a lot, but it can't do taste. It can't do the magic that happens when you, a human, put real time and effort and care into something.
Think about photography. When digital cameras came out, suddenly anyone could use this easier, less time-intensive tool to take a decent photo. Film photographers probably panicked that it would take their jobs, but it didn't make everyone a photographer overnight.
The people with a real eye, the ones who adapted to the new tools but still had the taste and the talent, stood out even more, while a lot of the newer photographers quickly hit a ceiling. And now people pay a premium for film photography again, because there's a whole segment of people who value the craftsmanship and the effort that goes into it. The exact things AI can't shortcut.
Yes, there will be a wave of amateur designers and artists using AI. But it's going to create a much clearer line between them and the experienced pros who are putting their taste and their effort in. And clients will still pay for that, because they're not just paying for the output. They're paying for the human connection, the experience, the feeling of being supported and clear and confident.
How do I use AI as a website designer?
Honestly how I use AI in my business has changed over time as I've learned more about the tools and thought harder about the impact and what's genuinely useful vs what's just shiny and new.
I really like this Ai Resonance Pyramid by Tayla Burrell - she talks about the 10/80/10 principle (the idea that a leader comes up with the first 10% vision, the team/AI handles the 80% implementation, and then the final 10% comes back to the leader to review and add their eye) and the hierarchy of what to actually use AI for in your business.
At the top of the pyramid are the things that are 100% human and probably always should be: real relationships, art that's meant to stir real emotion, anything where the effort and the imperfections are the point.
In the middle are things like brands and personal stories, where you might use AI for help but the human side has to come through.
And at the bottom are the functional utilities, the repetitive tasks where AI can step in and speed things up without losing anything.
I think this is a great approach, and is kind of reflected in the way I’ve been using AI myself:
Automating systems that genuinely save me time (not "automating for fun" and creating more work)
Troubleshooting and writing code
Transcribing meetings or interviews into a usable starting point (that I then review properly)
Repurposing content (eg. I put this podcast transcript into a tool that turns it into a draft blog post, which I then edit and review)
Occasionally helping with content ideas or research (though these days I find my own ideas are usually better)
Research and analysis
My golden rule for anything that goes out into the world with my name on it - I never, ever just copy and paste AI-generated content. I use AI to create first drafts that sound as much like me as possible (because I've trained it on my voice), but a human always reviews, edits, and adds the TASTE at the end.
The one big thing I want people to take away
Whichever side of this you land on, the one thing I hope people take from this is that we can be nuanced. We can educate ourselves on the reality of how these tools work. We can be intentional about how we use them and considerate of their impact. We can be honest that almost none of us are ethically perfect in every single choice we make, and that cancelling people who make different choices helps nobody.
And we can talk about it, openly, without it having to be so black and white.
(And if you’d like to continue the conversation and share your perspectives I would genuinely love to hear from you! Come and DM me on Instagram @by.rosanna)
