After watching the recent Canva and Adobe presentations, I have to ask the obvious question:
Will AI be implemented into Blocs to help us to build websites more easily — suggesting layouts, applying forms and fonts with color schemes to all pages at once, creating desktop, mobile version for us, asjusting assets for all the formats etc …or allowing drag-and-drop section changes. Simply put, to enhance/update somehow dated workflow?
I’m asking because, even after years of using Blocs, I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface and not really diving into coding. Of course, you could say the obvious — “just switch to Canva, Figma, etc.” — but I’ve supported vBlocs since version 1.0 and would like to keep doing so.
What does the future of Blocs and AI look like?
If there’s already a topic about this, please ignore my post.
Regarding web, “Pinegrow AI” might be a better comparison than Adobe or Canva presently, Figma’s AI is pretty cool though for heading towards the web.
Hopefully someday Blocs will be able to take a descriptive prompt and use the inbuilt Blocs, Brics, Features, from all aspects to build sites. To then be developed or promoted further.
Presently, you can check the current release notes for Blocs as well as the beta release notes to see more AI aspects that have been added. They may not be yet reflected in the documentation or support materials, but you can read about them in the release notes.
I wish there would be a way to connect my Minimalist Library with AI. Users could then write a prompt, and Blocs would generate the pages based on the output using the numerous sections I have in Minimalist. That’s actually how popular Relume Library works with Webflow.
We have recently implemented a batch of AI features into Blocs 6.3 (which is still in beta), mostly text generation for things like page and image descriptions (based on content).
But yes, we have other features planned, some already built and being tested internally others still in planning stages.
We are trying to implement AI in a meaningful way throughout Blocs that helps users built and edit websites faster as well as open up new doors to features Blocs currently doesn’t have.
All of the most recent AI features we have added take advantage of Apples local AI and ML models, they do require newer Macs with Apple silicon, but it means these AI features are processed locally and free.
Isn’t problem solving and learning what makes humans humans? I am a bit afraid, that this omnipresent servant will undermine our biggest and brightest strengths in very unfortunate ways. I very much enjoy to learn how to do things and to be creative with what i learned. Inasmuch as i think the best output comes from limitations. May they be technical or resource driven.
Oh I am with you. And thanks Norm for adding to this discussion.
My eyes open on what is happening in the designer word. Canva just sucked in into their environment Affinity. So my logic goes - if the asset generation tool by my choice is now within family of tools also used for web development, why would I go somewhere else. The young kids will be thinking the same … as they are already w/Canva AI - 250mil users daily already pay for it. Btw when Canva going IPO they will eat Adobe for lunch in few years. (We will be left with Pixelmator Pro which Iam perfectly fine with if Apple does not ditch it as they did Aperture). Thats why I would love to see some major advancement in Blocs to be able to create web pages much easier.
I love Blocs app, will continue to support it but for how long, we should see. I am glad there is a roadmap. Thank you for that Norm. It’s great to hear developer talking about future plans. The goal is for sure to sell more licences and to attract more younger users there must be serious AI implementation and ease of use, more design and less menu diving. I am from iWeb times and I still think that was the easiest way to design web then Blocs is 20 years later.