Cursor AI (Free trial): Building Websites Without Writing Code

Let's be honest---most of us stick to using AI for drafting emails, fixing grammar, or crunching some quick numbers. It's like owning a sports car and only driving around the block! I've definitely haven't unlocked AI's full potential yet, but in this case, I think I got pretty close.

The Background: Seeking Easy Street for My Portfolio

In the past, I've built sites with tools like GitHub Pages, Jekyll, and Netlify. This time, when it came to creating my portfolio, I found myself eyeing a nice Wix template. I was almost ready to pay for it, but the temptation to see Cursor AI in action was too strong. Honestly, I wanted website building to be plug-and-play and avoid reinventing the wheel.

I set myself a challenge: Don't write code unless absolutely necessary. Try out stuff I've never used, like Next.js and Tailwind CSS---because apparently, that's what all the cool developers are doing these days.

Cursor AI to the Rescue

Cursor AI blew away my skepticism. I didn't even write a single line of code, yet I got a site that worked perfectly. Can I say I "learned" Next.js or Tailwind CSS? Maybe not. But I got exactly the result I wanted, minus the stress.

The bug-fixing abilities were impressive. For example, my blog wasn't visible, so I just typed a very vague prompt:

The blog post is not visible on the website; check what is wrong.

Cursor instantly diagnosed: "The front matter used four dashes instead of three. I fixed that, restarted the server---check /blog again."
So, in three steps---fixed the delimiters, kept the important fields, restarted the server---problem sorted!

I also got my project ready for Netlify without breaking a sweat. And the best part? All this was done on a free trial, using fewer than 50 prompts. Talk about return on investment!

What About Developer Jobs---Is There a Threat?

Short answer: Absolutely not. AI isn't here to take your job---it's here to supercharge your productivity so you can focus on solving complex problems that actually need your brainpower.

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
--- Alan Kay

AI is a partner, not a competitor. If your goal is to really learn a stack like Next.js or Tailwind CSS, you're better off digging into the basics and learning by exploring. But if you're purely after output---getting that site up and running---AI is the fastest way.

Takeaways

If you want to learn, stick to your fundamentals, mess around, and ask lots of questions---even of the AI.

If you want to ship something quickly, AI can do the grunt work and let you focus on the bigger picture.

Don't get disheartened if AI seems to outperform---embrace it, use it to level up, and unlock new possibilities in your workflow.

Honestly, life's too short to waste on tiny syntax issues. Let AI handle the busywork, so you've got time for more important stuff (or just a good cup of tea :) ).