In 2025, the stress to hurry up operations and inventive output is excessive, so builders are discovering sensible methods to keep up high quality whereas accelerating their workflows. Businesses and types are utilizing AI to create scalable development, balancing a necessity for velocity with the drive for wonderful craft.
This shift towards AI adoption and innovation was the main target of Crafted Future: Code that Scales. The digital occasion shares how groups are utilizing clever methods to alter the sport, each in shopper work and enterprise operations.
Watch as artistic and technical leaders discover how AI helps steadiness effectivity and craftsmanship to create digital experiences that drive engagement.
What’s Crafted Future?
Crafted with Code, now in its sixth 12 months, is an annual showcase sponsored by WP Engine that celebrates excellent Webby-recognized tasks constructed on WordPressⓇ.
The Crafted Future digital occasion sequence dives deeper into these tales, providing a behind-the-scenes have a look at what it takes to construct Webby-worthy work. The sequence brings collectively technical consultants and inventive leaders to share sensible classes and clear examples of what’s working as expertise evolves.
You may watch earlier Crafted Future discussions on The Webby Awards YouTube channel.
Meet the panel
Moderated by Nick Borenstein, Normal Supervisor of The Webby Awards, the panel featured Cosme Olivas, Full Stack Developer and Designer at Matchbox Studio; Amori Langstaff, VP of Advertising and marketing Expertise & Operations at WP Engine; and Katie Peninger, VP of Account Service and Enterprise Development at Lewis.
Panelists mentioned construct scalable web sites that adapt alongside enterprise development and technological modifications, masking every part from establishing a robust technical basis to making use of AI as an operational benefit.
Utilizing AI to craft “Code that Scales”
The dialogue started with a core query. What precisely does it imply to construct “Code that Scales” in 2025? It’s not simply concerning the particular code used for a single web site. It additionally contains the organizational construction required to operationalize the usage of superior applied sciences.
Panelists agreed that sustainable development requires an innate skill to adapt to fixed change. In 2025, AI is significant to that skill, however it could generally create a pressure between velocity and high quality.
New AI instruments seem shortly, so groups are doing their finest to adapt simply as quick. On the identical time, they’ve to keep up the excessive artistic requirements that purchasers have come to anticipate and that awards, like the Webby Awards, need to acknowledge.
The best way to take action, in keeping with Olivas, is definitely to scale down. By narrowing the main target of the AI instruments you select and making a deep give attention to smaller issues, you set your self up for higher outcomes.
“It’s essential to select your battles. You’ve received to actually assess how a lot time goes to be invested, slim the scope, break it down into smaller components,” mentioned Olivas.
“As a lot as you need to scale up, you additionally need to scale down. And while you scale down, AI might help.”
Amori Langstaff of WP Engine famous a transparent distinction between constructing deliberately with AI versus simply tacking it onto your tech stack. She shared insights from WP Engine’s current relaunch of its personal chatbot expertise, underscoring the significance of getting a transparent function for the instruments and enthusiastic about AI systematically.
“To me, the largest unlock of AI is that it’s basically a studying system. It’s not nearly instruments—there are tons of little widgets. Once I take into consideration how we unlock AI, it’s not ‘what device can I simply placed on high of this expertise,’ however somewhat ‘what course of or expertise can we make smarter with a studying system?’” mentioned Langstaff.
“I take into consideration, for example, our chatbot. We simply offloaded our present, very fundamental chatbot, and as a substitute of simply selecting one other chatbot, I needed it to do extra. I needed it to observe. I needed it to study. I needed it to greet individuals. I need to have this conversational narrative layer on the location. In fact, it’s an AI device—He’s very good, Walter; say hello to him while you come to WP Engine—however he’s not simply sitting on high of our web site.
“The query I’m asking my staff is ‘how will we really make the location work together with Walter immediately, in order that the issues which are occurring on this conversational interface imply one thing in your complete layer?’ You must take into consideration AI systemically, not as only a widget or a device.”
Katie Peninger of Lewis supplied an company standpoint, sharing how AI is enabling each massive and small groups in numerous methods.
“AI is leveling the taking part in discipline in quite a lot of methods. For startups and smaller purchasers who had been hindered by budgets or staff dimension, AI is opening an entire new world for them to have the ability to do issues that they couldn’t do earlier than,” mentioned Peninger.
“For bigger organizations, it’s serving to them untangle complexity in quite a lot of methods. So, I feel it’s giving groups of all sizes unimaginable entry to issues that actually assist their companies develop.”
Case research in craft, agility, and velocity
The dialog then shifted focus towards two Webby Award-winning tasks featured in Code that Scales, each of that are hosted by WP Engine. Gelato La Boca, constructed by Olivas’ staff at Matchbox Studio, and the Kentucky Bourbon Path expertise created by Peninger’s staff at Lewis, every mix high-level craft and scalability.
Olivas described the method of constructing the Gelato La Boca web site, which earned Webby recognition for Web sites and Cellular Websites within the Meals and Drink class. He shared how foundational ideas are important to constructing scalable experiences that also delight guests visually.
“For me, scaling is so much concerning the basis, whether or not that’s a code base, a framework, or design ideas. When you’ve got that core basis, you’ll be capable of scale it. And now with AI, there are much more potentialities, concepts, and capabilities when you have that robust core basis,” he mentioned.
Langstaff echoed his sentiment, sharing that, whereas new AI-powered instruments crop up every single day, constructing a robust basis for the instruments you select is extra essential than implementing each new device that arises.
“AI instruments have modified so much in a 12 months—I can’t even think about what 2026 goes to seem like. The most important factor we’d like to consider as we’re constructing at present is that the foundational stuff must be rock strong, as a result of that can permit us to be nimble when issues do change,” she mentioned.
As Peninger mentioned the Kentucky Bourbon Path challenge, which earned a Webby Folks’s Voice Award, she famous that scalability is about greater than reaching spectacular metrics. As an alternative, each challenge could have a distinct definition of success, as a result of success ought to focus on assembly the targets of your shopper.
“For Kentucky Bourbon Path, there have been quite a lot of operational challenges. So we mentioned ‘How can we use this to not solely assist the customer, but in addition assist the distilleries?”
“I feel that an enormous measure of success for us is when a distillery says, ‘we’re beginning to see individuals have a greater understanding of get round Kentucky, what they should anticipate earlier than they even come, how they should plan their journey,’” mentioned Peninger.
AI as an operational drive and inventive catalyst
The panel additionally mentioned the tactical use of AI and the way it can improve operational success and inventive output.
Amori Langstaff explored what corporations have to do to make sure that AI amplifies their present tech stack, somewhat than performing as a brief repair.
“You don’t need to find yourself with simply extra stuff, extra instruments that work very regionally. Now we have to simplify all of those expertise selections. They should be so basically grounded within the job that must be carried out, as a result of it’s very straightforward to construct fractional options,” she mentioned.
“Coming again to this concept of scalability for a company: scalability for any enterprise comes from maximizing worth. I feel that’s the place we are able to begin to consider AI differently. It’s not separate and additive, however can it’s a drive multiplier? I need to see AI sitting on high of that orchestration layer and the workflow layer to unlock significant development.”
Cosme Olivas shared pleasure concerning the new artistic curiosity AI empowers, and the way it’s opening the door to new paths for artistic development.
“I feel again to after I first did my first web site, and why I even received into net improvement is that I used to be very interested in interactions on-line. What might the chances be?” he mentioned.
“I feel now I’m reliving that once more with AI. It’s a renewed curiosity of, ‘What can I do? What’s subsequent?’ That’s what has me essentially the most excited.”
Katie Peninger shared how AI is already altering staff dynamics at companies like Lewis. She mentioned the brand new talents that seem when strategists and creatives harness these new instruments.
“When [AI] is utilized in the fitting manner, it’s unlocking virtually a superpower. Human creativity is an unimaginable and thrilling factor, and I feel now we have not even begun to see what it’s actually going to unlock from a creativity standpoint,” she shared.
“Like I used to be saying earlier, enthusiastic about not being restricted by time or finances or bandwidth—it’s all about individuals’s creativeness and what you are able to do with it.”
Maintain crafting scalable, future-proof experiences with WP Engine
Thanks to our companions at The Webby Awards for his or her continued work and to Cosme Olivas, Amori Langstaff, and Katie Peninger for sharing their time.
The Crafted Future sequence will proceed to discover tales from Webby-recognized tasks constructed on WordPress, sharing distinctive views on constructing profitable, future-ready digital locations.
Take a look at much more Crafted With Code tales on the Webby Awards’ web site, and regulate the WP Engine weblog for extra protection of those unimaginable tasks.
