GPT-3 Innovations in Web Design

Artificial intelligence is sending ripples through the digital world since it’s the basis for many innovative technologies that are making fundamental changes in how we do things.

The biggest buzzword in the world of AI technology lately has been GPT-3. What started as a simple language prediction model quickly developed and showed capabilities many deemed impossible yet.

This powerful language model has also found applications in the world of web design and development. While designers and developers have expressed an array of opinions on the subject — from awe to horror — the influence GPT-3 will have on this profession is undeniable.

What Is GPT-3?

GPT-3 is a natural-language system created by an AI lab called OpenAI, which uses deep learning and vast amounts of input to generate human-like text. The primary purpose of this language model was simple — when given a string of words, it had to predict the next word in the sequence.

The system was created to imitate the neural networks in our brain. The aim was to train the system to identify patterns in vast amounts of text. To everyone’s surprise, GPT-3 has identified over 175 billion machine-learning parameters, i.e., what we think of as patterns in our language, thus mapping the human language in an unprecedented way.

Researchers soon realized that GPT-3’s capabilities far surpassed the initial expectations. Thanks to this “language map,” OpenAI’s technology is capable of performing a variety of tasks it was not built to do.

OpenAI started giving access to its GPT-3 API so that more people would explore the possibilities of the technology. The things they have found GPT-3 can do include writing poetry and tweets, translating texts, penning philosophical essays, imitating human writers, etc. However, as people started to fiddle with the system, they realized it can also write code, design web pages from scratch, and much more.

How GPT-3 Entered the World of Web Design

People soon started to toy with GPT-3’s ability to analyze and produce languages other than natural language, such as guitar tabs and HTML. The first mind-blowing realization of the implications of this technology for web design and development came when web developer Sharif Shameem showed what it can do in a tweet.

Namely, using the technology, he built a web layout generator that could create any kind of layout elements using only natural-language prompts, such as “a button that looks like a watermelon.”

Then came the “Designer” plugin. CashApp designer Jordan Singer built this plugin using GPT-3 for Figma web design platform. “Designer” can create fully functional web design prototypes based solely on text description. Basically, he can describe the app to the software using natural language, and it will create it within seconds.

This discovery was mind-blowing, and it spurred many other ideas for creative use of the language model.

Potential GPT-3 Uses

Ever since its inception last year, people have been fascinated with this incredible technology and what it can do. We’re yet to discover its full potential, but designers have already come up with many interesting uses that will change how we do web design. Here’s what GPT-3 can do, according to various professionals who posted their revelations on Twitter.

Write Code

As we have seen, this technology can write code almost from scratch. However, it can also understand and interpret the code written by someone else, as demonstrated by Amjad Masad of Replit.

You can literally ask the code what it does, get a proper explanation, and even get feedback on how to improve it. This type of product can be extremely beneficial for people learning programming.

Generate Web Templates

We have already mentioned Singer’s Figma plugin, which can generate amazing web templates from raw text input. Whatever elements you describe to the software, it will provide you with outstanding results and position these elements where they should be.

For example, if you request a message icon, it will likely end up in the top right corner where it is usually found in various apps. This tool can make the designer’s job so much easier.

Create Layouts

As Shameem has demonstrated with his layout generator, you can describe the desired layout in simple English, and the software will generate the JSX code for you.

The best thing is that GPT-3 doesn’t even have to go through extensive training for any of these functions. Shameem only provided two samples for the software, and it instantly knew what to do. Some layouts needed minor tweaks, but it was still highly impressive.

Clone Any Website

Another incredible cross with Figma, as shown by Singer on Twitter, can clone any website using its URL. This is amazing if you want a design and layout similar to an existing site but with a different purpose.

For example, you can ask the software to design a website like leadingedgeonly.com but for a chat app. From there on, you can make adjustments and changes as you like.

Create Animations

Figma designers have also created “Flipbook Animator,” which can help you animate your design frame by frame. Again, you just have to give it a textual prompt, such as “title fade in” or similar.

This tool can save designers plenty of time. When the product is done, you can save it as a GIF file.

Generate 3D Objects

According to Antonio Gómez of the tech giant Apple, GPT-3 can also generate 3D scenes using the three.js Javascript API. Again, his demo uses commands in plain English to produce generative code.

The Future of GPT-3 in Web Design

Many question if this innovative technology will completely replace designers in the future. The answer is — it’s highly unlikely. Although the technology demonstrates incredible abilities, it is far from perfect, and it makes mistakes. The mistakes are not necessarily great, but only skilled professionals can fix them.

There are many nuances to web design and development that software simply can’t grasp. For example, would GPT-3 be able to create SEO-friendly design? So far, it seems highly unlikely.

However, the technology is sure to find many new and innovative uses and make web designers’ jobs much more exciting and easier.