Building This Site: AI and Static HTML

Everyone knows AI is the standard tool for coding these days, and I used it heavily to refresh this site. The previous version of this site hadn't been updated in nearly six years. Since I have very little interest in website design, I leaned on ChatGPT, Gemini, and the Gemini CLI to handle the tedious bits.

The Stack

The most important thing to know about this site is what it is not. There is no WordPress, no database, and no heavy Content Management System (CMS) lurking in the background. It is built entirely with pure HTML and CSS.

While using AI to generate complex code can sometimes introduce security vulnerabilities, keeping things static eliminates the vast majority of those risks. There are no plugins to exploit, and there is no backend for anyone to hack. It is just a few static files sitting on a server.

The Human Element

I treated the AI like a junior developer. I provided the structure and the logic while the AI handled the syntax. I used ChatGPT and Gemini to iterate on ideas and non-technical work. Then, I used Gemini CLI to make the actual changes.

Crucially, while AI built the house, the content on this site is mine. This approach allowed me to skip the frankly unintresting task of website development and focus on the content.