New GPT security concerns for web designers

The transformation of the world’s data servers to become AI-ready is well underway — © AFP Mohd RASFAN

In January, OpenAI launched the GPT Store to offer designers and programmers tools to develop web applications.

The company HostingAdvice wanted to find out how U.S. citizens feel about leveraging AI to build web applications and who is using the new OpenAI GPT store. The outcome was that most people (52 percent) surveyed are concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in web development.

It also stands that 58 percent of respondents are worried about the potential for GPT models to introduce security vulnerabilities in web applications and 62 percent think custom GPT models could replace human roles in web development.

The future of work is a further consideration. Here, 6 in 10 Americans (62 percent) think custom GPT models have the potential to replace some human roles in web development.

Despite these concerns, many web developers are already on board and using AI tools. The survey found that more than one-quarter of those surveyed have or plan to visit the new OpenAI GPT store, and 16 percent have already used a custom GPT model for a web development project or tasks such as coding, wireframing, and page design.

Of those, the applications they found most helpful in using a custom GPT assistant are:

• 49%  —  Automated testing scripts
• 48%  —  Content generation
• 46%  —  Language translation services
• 43%  —  Automated coding assistance
• 32%  —  Wireframing/design

Additionally, 19 percent of survey respondents plan to use a custom GPT for web development tasks in the future, and 23% have found custom GPT models more effective than traditional coding methods in certain aspects of web development.

The survey also discovered that one-quarter of those surveyed use AI/GPT writing tools such as Grammarly to help improve their professional communications, but for those who do not:

• 49% prefer to use other tools
• 27% have privacy concerns
• 24% are not comfortable giving full keyboard access

The survey was an online survey of 1,015 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of HostingAdvice.com in February of 2024.