Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way websites are designed and developed. Today, an AI website builder can generate layouts, write content, create images and even produce custom code within minutes.
For small businesses, start-ups and individuals, this can make creating a website faster, easier and considerably cheaper.
However, there is another side to AI website creation that shouldn’t be ignored: security
AI is making website development accessible to people who have little or no understanding of HTML, PHP, JavaScript, databases or server security. While this is one of AI’s greatest advantages, it can also become one of its biggest risks.
If you don’t understand the code AI creates, how do you know whether that code is secure?
The Benefits of Using AI to Create a Website
Build a Website Much Faster
One of the greatest advantages of AI website builders is speed.
A basic business website that might previously have taken days or weeks to develop can potentially be created within hours.
AI can help generate page layouts, navigation, written content, FAQs, images and calls to action. It can also assist with coding more advanced functionality.
For a new business wanting to establish an online presence quickly, this can be extremely useful.
Lower Website Development Costs
Professional website development can represent a significant investment for a small business.
AI allows business owners to complete many basic tasks themselves, potentially reducing the initial cost of getting online.
However, cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better. Businesses should consider whether the website is going to become an important source of enquiries, sales or revenue before relying entirely on an automated solution.
AI Can Help You Create Content
AI can be particularly useful when creating initial website content.
It can help produce:
- Service descriptions
- Product information
- Frequently asked questions
- Blog articles
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Calls to action
This can dramatically reduce the time required to populate a new website.
AI-generated content should always be reviewed by a human, however. AI can make mistakes, provide outdated information or create content that sounds convincing but is factually incorrect.
The Disadvantages of AI Website Builders
Your Website Can Look Generic
AI website builders frequently work from existing templates and established design patterns.
While the results can look impressive, your website may end up looking remarkably similar to hundreds of other websites.
For businesses, this can make it more difficult to establish a distinctive and memorable brand.
AI Doesn’t Truly Understand Your Business
AI can analyse the information you give it, but it doesn’t know your customers in the way you do.
Your experience, personality, customer relationships and knowledge of your industry are extremely valuable.
The strongest websites therefore use AI as a tool rather than allowing AI to make every decision.
The Security Risks of AI-Generated Websites
This is perhaps one of the most important issues surrounding AI website development.
AI can now generate PHP, JavaScript, CSS, database queries and configuration files for users who have never written a line of code.
That capability is extremely powerful – but it can also introduce significant security risks.
What Happens When You Don’t Understand the Code?
Imagine asking an AI tool:
“Create some PHP code for my WordPress website that allows customers to upload documents.”
The AI produces the code, the user copies it into their website and everything appears to work.
But is the upload properly restricted?
Are file types validated?
Can executable files be uploaded?
Are filenames sanitised?
Is access authenticated?
Is the uploaded information stored securely?
Has the code introduced a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to access the website?
A user who understands PHP and website security can review these issues. Someone with no coding experience may simply see that the feature works and assume it is safe.
Working code and secure code are not necessarily the same thing.
AI Can Generate Insecure or Incorrect Code
AI-generated code isn’t guaranteed to be secure.
Depending on the instructions provided, an AI system may produce code containing poor security practices or fail to account for the wider environment in which that code will operate.
Potential problems can include inadequate input validation, insecure database queries, weak authentication controls, exposed credentials, unsafe file uploads and insufficient protection against common website attacks.
This becomes particularly concerning when AI-generated code is added to WordPress, Joomla or other content management systems without professional review.
Users May Disable Security to Make AI Code Work
Another potential problem occurs when generated code doesn’t work correctly.
A user may ask AI how to “fix” the problem and receive instructions that alter permissions, disable security controls or modify important configuration files.
Without understanding the consequences, the user could inadvertently weaken the security of the entire website.
Never blindly copy commands, PHP code, JavaScript or server configuration generated by AI into a production website.
AI Doesn’t Replace Website Security
This is why secure website hosting is becoming even more important in the age of AI.
Your hosting environment represents an important layer of defence between your website and potential attackers.
At Birch Hosting, our cPanel hosting infrastructure incorporates multiple technologies designed to improve website performance, stability and security.
Imunify360 provides proactive protection including malware detection and cleaning, helping identify malicious files that may find their way onto a compromised website.
CloudLinux helps isolate hosting accounts and allocate resources, improving both server security and stability.
We also use the LiteSpeed Web Server, combined with fast NVMe storage, to provide excellent website performance and page-loading speeds.
For supported applications such as WordPress, LiteSpeed Cache can further improve website performance, while selected premium hosting accounts can also benefit from Redis object caching.
AI Website? Give It Quality Hosting
Whether your website has been created by AI, WordPress, Joomla, a professional developer or yourself, the quality of your hosting still matters.
A website needs to be fast, secure and reliable.
Birch Hosting’s cPanel Website Hosting provides an excellent home for small business websites, personal websites, WordPress installations and other online projects.
For companies requiring additional resources and performance, our cPanel Business Hosting provides a more powerful hosting environment for business-critical websites.
Both allow you to benefit from professional UK hosting infrastructure without needing to understand the complexities of managing a web server yourself.
AI Is a Tool – Not a Security Expert
AI has enormous potential and will undoubtedly continue changing website development.
Used correctly, it can save businesses considerable amounts of time and money.
But there is an important principle every website owner should remember:
Never deploy code you don’t understand simply because AI generated it.
If you’re unsure what a piece of code does, have it checked by somebody with appropriate technical knowledge before adding it to a live website.
AI can help you create your website, but good hosting, sensible security practices and human expertise remain essential.
Build with AI – Host with Confidence
Created your website using AI? Make sure the hosting behind it is equally impressive.
Choose Birch Hosting cPanel Website Hosting for fast, secure and reliable UK website hosting, or step up to cPanel Business Hosting when your business requires additional resources and performance.
With LiteSpeed, NVMe storage, CloudLinux and Imunify360 protection, Birch Hosting provides the infrastructure your AI-created website needs to perform reliably.
AI can help build your website. Birch Hosting can help provide the secure, high-performance environment it needs.
Your website represents your business. Don’t compromise on the hosting behind it.