When the Tools Get in the Way
We made websites easier to build by hiding the code. But now that AI can write that code for us, the abstraction layers are becoming the new friction.
When the Tools Get in the Way
For years, the movement in web creation was toward simplicity. We moved from hand-coded HTML and FTP uploads to WYSIWYG editors, page builders, and theme marketplaces. You didn’t need to know what a <div> was—just drag, drop, publish.
The pitch was clear: You don’t need to code. You don’t need to know how it works. Just pick a template and fill it in.
And for a lot of people, that was great.
But recently, I needed to spin up a branded single-page site for a personal project. Nothing complex. Just a homepage to test a concept. With ChatGPT, I was able to generate a fully styled, responsive page from scratch. It even pulled in my visual identity—colors, fonts, copy tone. It felt like a cheat code.
But then I tried to use it.
And that’s where the friction started.
The Tools Aren’t Built for This
Platforms like Wix and WordPress have evolved to support their primary user: the non-technical editor. That means site creation happens inside a visual layer—drag-and-drop, color pickers, menus for everything.
But if I already have the raw site—HTML, CSS, images, maybe a little JS—these tools don’t really want me to use it directly. I either have to shoehorn it into a custom theme workflow or give up and recreate the whole thing manually inside their editor. That defeats the point.
So I turned to Netlify. I could drag-and-drop my output folder directly. Great.
Until I wanted to iterate. Each AI-assisted prototype was a full rewrite—new file structure, new design. That simple drag-and-drop flow broke. Now it wanted me to connect a GitHub repo and deploy from there. Which makes sense if I’m building an app with version control and branching strategies.
But I’m not. I’m just trying to test an idea. And now the friction is back.
From Abstraction to Bottleneck
We spent the last decade building systems to abstract complexity—so users could avoid the scary stuff like HTML, hosting, or version control. But now AI makes that “scary stuff” feel lightweight.
Not everyone wants the visual editor anymore. Sometimes we want to drop in a zip file and go. And suddenly, the abstraction becomes the bottleneck.
That’s the shift I’m noticing. The tools didn’t get worse. But the context changed. AI didn’t just write the content. It rebuilt the entire interface layer underneath. And many platforms are still assuming I need handholding, when what I actually need is a flat surface and an open door.
This Pattern Is Bigger Than Web Hosting
It’s not just Wix or Netlify. It’s happening everywhere.
Video editors still walk you through import panels and render settings—even though AI tools can generate the video directly. CMS platforms expect structured entries and form fields—even if I already have the raw content, styled and ready.
We built these layers to help people who didn’t have the output yet. But now that AI gives me the output directly, I don’t need help building the thing—I need help using the thing I already have.
What Comes Next
The next wave of tools won’t be defined by how easy they are—but by how little they get in the way.
We need platforms that recognize when the user shows up with finished work in hand. Tools that say: “Cool—drop it here. We’ve got you.”
Not everything needs a wizard. Not everything needs a theme picker.
Sometimes, you just need a folder. And a button that says “Publish.”
Because AI already did the work. Now I just need to use it.
