The short answer is: Yes!
Here is the long answer.
CMS were originally developed to replace complicated manual changes at the code level with inputs through easy-to-use interfaces. That worked well for a quarter of a century (believe it or not: we maintain websites based on our self-developed CMS Artikelwerk that are still in use today), and it will continue to work in the AI age – just a little differently.
How will CMS be operated in the future?
Input forms will presumably be partially replaced by prompt inputs: I log in, copy text into the input field, upload an image or video, add a few instructions – and Drupal AI (or another AI system) takes care of the rest. If I don't have text or an image at hand, I can also give instructions for the AI to handle text creation or image generation itself right away.
Things get exciting with automated tasks such as: "Generate a summary of the week every Friday and send it to the mailing list" or "Write me an article on topic XY every Monday and submit it to me for approval".
Whether all of this will ultimately work with or without voice input is probably a matter of taste.
Do we still need manual input options and controls?
That depends on whether you trust an AI to work without errors – which would be questionable, since even the best models currently achieve just under 90% accuracy, and in many areas 70% is already a good value.
That is why it would be strongly advisable to always have manual options for controlling content. But we do not see these manual options as a stopgap for when the AI fails: they are an equal control element with their own benefits. Some tasks can simply be handled faster and more precisely via a form than via a complex prompt. Some content requires exact formatting that you would rather keep in your own hands. And some users prefer familiar interfaces over text input – think of accessibility and usability. Prompt and form are not competitors, but two paths to the same goal, between which you choose freely.
"You don't want to sit in a car without a steering wheel that misses at least 10% of its destinations."
How do AIs change CMS development?
In times when a complete front-end template, a module, or a data migration can be delivered by an AI in no time, and the AI can make solid suggestions for site architecture, UX, and UI, web development will change radically. In the long run, consulting will take center stage, but for the foreseeable future there will still be a need for teams capable of performing all work steps themselves and supervising the AIs. At werk21, we see AI as a powerful tool that makes our work faster, more cost-effective, and better – but we do not delegate the work to AIs and always stay in control.
"AI is a powerful tool, but we don't delegate the work to the toolbox."
What can we do?
In our view, the best solution is a CMS that, while maintaining full human control, can also make use of all available AI features. With Drupal AI, Drupal is the most advanced among all open-source CMS. We rely on both, because modern CMS development without AI is unthinkable – but websites will continue to need CMS.
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