How should we review AI-generated website code before launch?

AI-generated website code can accelerate digital experience delivery, but it does not remove the need for human review before launch. A developer's role increasingly includes setting precise tasks, reviewing outputs critically and guiding the tool towards established best practice. That review matters because functional code is not necessarily well structured, elegant or appropriate for the wider website.

A launch-ready review should therefore consider the code in the context of the whole build, rather than judging a generated feature in isolation. Developers need to understand the fundamentals well enough to adapt and maintain generated code, rather than becoming locked into the model's decisions. Human-AI collaboration works best when AI handles repetitive or rapid production work while experienced developers retain responsibility for judgement, system design and final approval.

A working AI-generated website feature can still create technical debt, accessibility failures and expensive rework after launch. Generated code may be bloated, repetitive and difficult to maintain, particularly when it duplicates code instead of creating reusable structure. Reviewers should look for clear organisation, unnecessary repetition and whether the implementation will remain practical to change as the website evolves.

Accessibility also needs direct human attention. AI is probabilistic and can misinterpret images, cultural context or patterns in its training data, which can exclude people the website should serve. Human designers, developers and accessibility advocates should assess how people will experience the digital product, rather than relying on generated output alone. AI can be useful for prototypes, quick iterations and deadline-led work, but long-term builds need clean, maintainable code and careful launch judgement.

We believe AI-generated website code should be reviewed as part of engineering practice, not treated as a shortcut around it. AI can accelerate high-pressure builds, support rapid iteration and reduce time spent researching documentation. But speed alone is not a sufficient launch standard when code is repetitive, bloated or difficult to maintain. We use AI to amplify creative and strategic work while keeping experienced developers responsible for defining tasks, reviewing outputs and accepting or rejecting changes line by line. For organisations seeking support, the useful capability is a team that can combine AI-assisted coding with sound system design, maintainability and accessibility judgement. Our work reflects the view that AI can help build faster, while human craftsmanship protects the quality of what remains after launch.