Can AI build a website? Risks and Rewards of using AI to build and host your cannabis website
AI website builders have been all the hype this year. So, let’s talk about it.
Can AI build a website for your cannabis business? Are there any risks? What are the benefits?
Is this starting to look like your Google search history, lol?
But before we get going, if you’re hoping for this to be a blog about us ripping on AI, we hate to disappoint but that’s not the case. We believe AI can be a useful tool (when used with morals and ethics), especially for smaller business owners.
Instead, the purpose of this blog is to discuss some of the different ways AI is being used for website design and development while reviewing the risks and benefits.
Whether you decide to use it or not is, well, up to you!
How can you build a website with AI?
There are two different ways to build a website with AI: AI website builders or vibe coding.
Many well-known platforms such as Wix, Squarespace and Shopify now come with AI website builders to design and host your website on their platform.
Alternatively, you can build a website (vibe code) directly through large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s Codex, which now offers hosting, or Claude Code, and host it on a platform of your choosing, such as GitHub.
What are AI website builders?
AI website builders are artificial intelligence platforms or programs that assist or facilitate website design and development. This may include back-end website development, front-end website design, SEO optimization and various other aspects of the website development process.
When using an AI website builder, you will typically answer prompts or fill in a form, and the tool assembles a site from pre-built templates and blocks using drag-and-drop editing tools.
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding (or AI-assisted coding) is where you describe what you want in natural language, and the LLMs generate actual code (React, HTML/CSS, etc.), which you can then edit at the code level. There is no visual drag-and-drop feature, and you are responsible for hosting and enforcing security measures.
Pros of using AI to design your website
Objectively, the main pros of using AI to design your website are speed, lower cost and lower skill barrier.
Faster development time
The most obvious benefit to using an AI builder is speed. A functional site can go from an idea in your brain to a published website in minutes to hours versus days or weeks for traditional design and development (though we still build websites in a day *wink*).
Lower cost of development
Regardless of whether you’re using an AI builder or vibe coding, the cost of development is going to be much cheaper than if you were to hire a professional to build your site for you. This can be appealing to newer companies that don’t yet have the budget to outsource.
Lower barrier to entry
If you’re in a position where you have no choice but to DIY your business from the ground up, using an AI-builder allows you to get a decent site up and running without having to learn much. Vibe coding, on the other hand, does require quite a bit of learning for long-term maintenance.
Rapid iteration and experimentation
This may not be true for vibe coding, but if you’re using an AI website builder, you can easily swap layouts, fonts and colors without eating up your time or budget.
Cons of using AI to design your website
Like all things in life, faster and cheaper doesn’t always equate to being better. While AI can be very beneficial for newer businesses, there are some cons (and risks) you should consider.
Generic website design
Using AI-builders typically results in generic design that won’t necessarily set you apart from your competitors. You are also confined to underlying templates and design patterns, which can put a damper on your creativity. While vibe coding definitely gives you more freedom in terms of customization, AI tends to do what’s already been done and deliver similar outputs.
Weak brand alignment
AI builders that use quick prompts and questionnaires don’t have a deep knowledge of your business’s positioning, audience or voice. Copy and visual choices often default to generic best practices rather than what is actually distinctive about the brand.
Code quality and maintainability risks (vibe coding specifically)
LLM-generated code can include bugs, security gaps, inefficient patterns or inconsistent architecture, especially as your project grows. Someone without coding knowledge may not be able to catch or fix these issues, potentially opening yourself up to a data breach.
Poor SEO performance and accessibility gaps
In our experience, AI has never done a great job at optimizing content for SEO or pulling credible keywords. While it may do a decent job, it can’t replace a human content strategy. You will also need to ensure your site passes accessibility standards to avoid costly lawsuits.
Data and privacy considerations
AI website builders like Wix or Squarespace collect and process whatever info you feed into the AI setup flow, plus standard site analytics and visitor data. Your content typically stays within their platform’s terms.
Vibe-coding tools (Lovable, Bolt, etc.) are more nuanced because they’re often built on top of underlying LLMs (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.), so there are two layers of policy to consider. In general, you should check whether or not the platform uses your prompts/code for training, whether you retain ownership of what you submit, and whether there are security checks that scan prior to publication.
Is AI website development smart for cannabis brands?
AI website development might not be a bad idea for a small landing page or non-ecommerce cannabis website. But for those who plan to scale, collect customer information and/or sell products, we would caution against using AI to build your website.
As I’m sure you know, cannabis has quite a lot of restrictions and regulations. Between payment processors, age gating, state-specific marketing rules and platform constraints, having a team of developers who are well-versed in cannabis can save you thousands in potential legal fees down the road and by getting it right the first time.
If you’re looking to get your cannabis website up and running, book a call with us today and let’s chat!