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Wix’s new tool can create entire websites from prompts
- kevingadd 3y agoIt's weird that the interface seems to be a chatbot with a tiny text field that quizzes you on things. I would think it would be more effective if it went "hey, hand me all the documentation and stuff you have that describes your business" and then asked you clarifying questions at the end if necessary. I wonder if they tested something like that and the results were poor?
- withinboredom 3y agoYou would need some kind of mapping on what "documentation" maps to what kind of business. If I handed you a bunch of receipts and invoices ... would you know what my business was and how to market it?
- pc86 3y agoI would think it would at least be able to get to clarifying questions. Businesses that buy millions in lumber are fundamentally different than businesses that buy millions in eggs, or that buy millions in legal and accounting services.
- withinboredom 3y agoI mean, if you're my accountant, sure. I spend quite a bit of money on stuff that deals with my back-office (like office supplies) but my website has no need to reflect that. I spend quite a bit on infrastructure and software licenses, and yet again, my website has no need to reflect that. What I bill clients for might be interesting, but the line items are probably useless for potential clients because they mostly have no idea what they're looking for, yet. They just know they want software. I want a website that appeals to those potential clients. That's all. Further, most clients come from word-of-mouth, not by my website. My website just confirms that I'm legitimate... I think out of 15 years, only one client came from that lead form.
- preommr 3y ago> If I handed you a bunch of receipts and invoices ... would you know what my business was and how to market it? ...Yes? Lmao, itemized cash flow is like the main thing to look at for in any business. Edit: I just saw the other comment mention how most clients aren't interested in an itemized list of features that they might have no clue about. But a well trained ai generator wouldn't just spit those out directly, but instead translate those features into terms that are commonly used in other websites. If you've billing frequently for in-person consultation, then the marketing should focus on the high quality of tech-support. If you're talking about office supplies, then the website might not list scotch-tape and sticky notes, but focus on types of clients that buy those supplies.
- tiborsaas 3y ago"hey, hand me all the documentation and stuff you have that describes your business" You mean the hardest part of negotiating with clients? I'd guess they already have tons of data in their CMS and all they need is some guidance on categories and specifics like where the business is or is it dog friendly or not.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- seltzered_ 3y agoAnyone remember hearing about AI powered websites builders several years ago only to flop terribly? Specifically the grid : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22399357 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22399357
- RandomWorker 3y ago> AI Site Generator takes several prompts — any descriptions of sites — and uses a combination of in-house and third-party AI systems to create the envisioned site. In a chatbot-like interface, the tool asks a series of questions about the nature of the site and business, attempting to translate this into a custom web template. > ChatGPT generates the text for the website while Wix’s AI creates the site design and images. Looks like they are blending their own work with ChatGPT.
- userbinator 3y agoJust what we need, more low-quality websites whose creators have even less of an idea what's wrong with them when you report a bug. /s
- yoava 3y agoI think you get it wrong - this will actually improve the internet. Most of the websites are created from Templates that are then updated to some degree with content and images. A tool like this one makes the website starting point more unique, allowing the site owner to create a better website will less effort --> better quality websites
- Al0neStar 3y agoDISCLAIMER: You work for Wix.
- yoava 3y agoYes, I am. I have stated this before, and do not hide it. I do try to give honest replies, not marketing bull**t, sharing what I can when I can.
- ix-ix 3y agoWow, you really need to put that in every post about Wix. Super disingenuous.
- mdrzn 3y agoOut of all your comments in this whole comment section, you only pointed out once "(and keep in mind, I work for Wix)". Either add it to your profile, or write in every single post because this felt really dirty when I found out.
- nfRfqX5n 3y agolooks like it's generating a fairly complicated landing page, which (imo) is overkill for the 20% of small biz's that are missing websites
- hiidrew 3y agoI wonder, will this worsen or better the issue of all websites looking similar? https://theconversation.com/yes-websites-really-are-starting-to-look-more-similar-136484 https://theconversation.com/yes-websites-really-are-starting...
- yoava 3y agoI think it will improve the internet by adding more diversity. The reality is that most websites are built from templates using the template content and images as a base. Given AI generation, the "template" starting point turns into something unique, more tailored for the needs of the site owner.
- galenko 3y agoThis AI is basically a search engine layer for the wix library of components. It uses pre-defined colour palettes, with minor modifications. I hope you’re right, but I don’t understand how, by design it’s not supposed to come up with completely new things (even though that’s what the marketing blurb says).
- ix-ix 3y agoNote that you are replying to someone who works for Wix. I would take what they say with a grain of salt.
- josefresco 3y agoThis will be great for people who are tech savvy, but not website builders. I build websites for small businesses, and this doesn't threaten me in the least as my value has never been the actual design/construction but rather my ability to have good client relationships and provide them "peace of mind".
- yoava 3y agoAt the same time, it can help you become more productive when building for your clients. At least as a base generation that you as an expert website builder can then improve by adding your specific added value
- redleggedfrog 3y ago"ChatGPT make the checkout button more pronounced but not too much I don't want to look greedy. Also move it so it looks better. Also only use good colors. It should work like Amazon. Also in checkout make middle name required but only if they have one." Real client quotes slightly paraphrased due to memory constraints. I feel for ya ChatGPT - I've been there.
- erellsworth 3y agoDon't worry, they will just send this message to their "prompt engineer" who will spend weeks tweaking prompts to get something that's "good enough." In the end it will cost just as much as if they paid a human developer but with the added benefit of being shittier.
- nkozyra 3y agoMaybe. I see a lot of whistling past the graveyard here in tech world. Design is a critical and nuanced world, but if an LLM can get you 80% or even 50% there it's a time (and possibly resource) saver.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- xnx 3y agoDon't existing templates get 90% of people 90% of the way there?
- nkozyra 3y agoSure, but they're far more rigid and don't take a ton of input beyond specific SCSS-type variables.
- beepbooptheory 3y agoI am somewhat curious about this though. It seems like this kind of workflow would be more flexible than a dumb template, but in practice I am not so sure these days. The back and forth of it gets slightly tiring and you start to miss the simpler, unambiguous tools. Perhaps its just something about the apparently extreme complexity of prompt engineering, but the feeling of freedom/flexibility in the prompt based workflow at the very least feels comparable to a good template based one. This is not to wave away the other things it can do like generating copy.
- rollcat 3y agoI sometimes have to interact with Wix for one customer. It's a complete nightmare to work with. Their WYSIWYG editor takes minutes to load on an M1 Mac with a decent Internet connection, and every operation is incredibly sluggish. What they've done with this AI is rather... unimpressive. ChatGPT already generates pretty decent websites, we've generated more than one demo or PoC with it. They really should focus on their core product UX, because it's... just trash.
- seanthemon 3y agoI also found their WYSIWYG editor unintuitive and fixing anything larger than minor (or adding basic features) required you to switch into their code mode or whatever, and that got overwritten with their updates..
- registeredcorn 3y agoInteresting! Any thoughts on their competitors; Squarespace, etc.? I've been using a WYSIWYG service I'm not super happy with the cost and have been considering moving to a different one. Wix was pretty high on my list. I'd be interested to hear if there's a preference for X, Y, or Z for this or that reason.
- kfarr 3y agoHaving worked with WYSIWYG web editors dating back to Frontpage and also Wix the critiques here are similar to all editors — they’re finicky and quirky, slow to load, and hard to do truly custom things that go outside their templates or rigid systems. Wix is neither better nor worse. If you can work with it great. I advise a couple of nonprofits and i set them up with wix not because it’s super customizable or fast, but because it’s useable by laypeople and hosting is included.
- bb101 3y agoAny mention of Frontpage should come with a trigger warning! After all these years, I still haven't forgiven Microsoft.
- jacknews 3y agoThe thing is 'website' is going to lose meaning when there are trillions of them, all blandly AI. It's kind of an instantiation of the creators idea of what you want to see at a point in time. But why not use AI to generate the visitor's prefered presentation of what it is you have to present, in real time?
- base 3y agoThat's what most big e-commerce websites already do. From the moment you have a login the content is personalised to you.
- sdflhasjd 3y agoAh yes, I see you bought a mattress. May I recommend these other mattresses to add to your collection?
- stevewodil 3y agoThis guy must really love mattresses!
- kwertyoowiyop 3y agoMaybe we can get him to subscribe to mattresses!
- ecshafer 3y agoIts weird that no one has cracked: you bought a mattress recently, would you like to buy these bed sets or bed frames? Complementary goods are not exactly rocket science. If I go to a a dealer and buy a car they try and upsell me on features on the car, they don't try and sell me another car.
- seydor 3y agogoogle has SEO'ed the internet to death a long time ago
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- rambambram 3y agoHmm, I thought they would use AI for creating the designs/styles for their websites, but it's 'only' about text. For HeyHomepage I have a Quick Design option, which uses random color schemes that one can gradually refine to quickly end up with a nice and fitting website style. It combines the power of randomly presented colors with the ability to quickly choose the ones you like. Of course, a custom style specifically designed for a company's website might win in the 'look and feel' category, but quickly having something decent online was my main goal here.
- yoava 3y agoWell, it is only about Text as long as you consider as Text the following... 1. Image Creator 2. Alternative Layouts 3. Auto Background Removal and Auto Enhance 4. Auto-Generated Trailer You can see full examples of each here https://www.wix.com/blog/avishai-abrahami-thoughts-about-ai#viewer-elaim https://www.wix.com/blog/avishai-abrahami-thoughts-about-ai#...
- rambambram 3y agoI take back what I said. I'm especially blown away by the image features! Maybe I have a slightly personal - and unwarranted - dislike for auto-generated texts because of a (perceived) loss in creativity, but the AI takes away the annoying schlepp work for image editing and even video generating. Useful functions!
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- seydor 3y agonext step pre-generate a website for every business and then sell it to them
- yoava 3y agoTo be honest, for me it feels on the edge of being a scam... Almost like buying what are clearly branded domains only to sell them later to brand owner... (and keep in mind, I work for Wix)
- andsoitis 3y ago> “The AI Site Generator leverages our domain expertise and near-decade of experience with AI to tune the models to generate high-quality content, tailor-made design and layouts,” Abrahami said I had no idea Wix has 10 years of AI experience!
- coev 3y agoIt's a team of 10 people with 1 year each
- SoftTalker 3y agoNo, it's 100 people with 1 month each.
- yoava 3y agoActually, Wix can do quite a bit more with AI ... 1. AI Text Creator 2. AI Template Text Creator 3. Alternative Layouts 4. AI Image Creator 5. Auto Background Removal and Auto Enhance 6. Auto-Generated Trailer 7. Product Descriptions 8. Product Recommendations 9. AI Domain Generator more coming soon... see examples here https://www.wix.com/blog/avishai-abrahami-thoughts-about-ai#viewer-elaim https://www.wix.com/blog/avishai-abrahami-thoughts-about-ai#...
- nprateem 3y agoWhile most examples are laughably lame, the website chatbot is actually impressive in allowing iterating through different designs.
- tinyspacewizard 3y agoThis is a press release masquerading as news.
- zawaideh 3y ago[flagged]
- lakomen 3y agoA photographer "friend", pretty prominent name, asked me to create a website for him. I showed him a demo of a masonry wall. A month later he created his own website with wix. Absolutely terrible looking. I guess he sells that as "new art design" or something. Photographers can get away with anything. And us honestl, hard working folks of the web dev "industry" get replaced by AI. So what are we supposed to do? Just die? In the end, it won't make a difference. The public will get used to swallowing all the shit they get served. Some will even idealize it. Good example, HBO Max vs HBO Go. Go was superior in every way, but HBO Max is the successor and people got used to be served shit vs actual good quality. Or take the good movies of the 80s 90s and then compare them to the shit that Superhero movies are. Great quality, well produced, but still shit compared. People just got used to eating shit. AI generated will be the norm and what's left will be super expensive designers that only super rich can afford, because it's manual labor for extravagant people. Where does it end?
- yoava 3y agoI do not think AI will replace the hard working folks of the web dev "industry". At least, not those who will evolve with AI. AI can get you so much. This "so much with AI" is a lot, and great for many websites. This "so much with AI" is a great starting point for many other websites. I believe professional (like you?) will be using AI based tools to automate the simple tasks and focus more on the added value only they can provide.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Culonavirus 3y agoI've said it multiple times to multiple people and I'm gonna say it again: If ChatGPT can give you correct solutions, you don't work on complex enough problems and your job will probably be automated relatively soon. Complex SQL is a great example of the type of problem LLMs fail at spectacularly, but average humans (well, I mean average programmers) do not.
- wintermutestwin 3y agoA side note about Wix: A couple of years back, I was choosing between Squarespace and Wix to replace a Wordpress site for a “brochure” website that was a huge PITA to update. When I looked at Squarespace, they provided no way to restore the site from a backup after some inadvertent change by an end user. Of course I ended up with Wix, but I am still baffled by the popularity of Squarespace given this ridiculous limitation.