Has Squarespace’s new AI text feature killed “lorem ipsum”?

The lorem ipsum text is well known to web designers online and is used as a placeholder for text areas when creating a page design, where the copy isn’t available yet. The idea is that, at first glance, the web design looks as it would, because the phrase’s structure aims not to distract from the design. This is how the lorem ipsum text looks.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Et consequatur dolor est modi inventore aut accusantium corrupti. Ut sint ullam ad blanditiis explicabo et quia corporis.

The origin of lorum ipsum is still up for debate. The source for this phrase is often credited to a passage which appears in a first-century Roman text written by philosopher, Cicero, called De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum. The passage, roughly translated into English gives us:

“Nor is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure.”

Cicero, the creator of Lorem ipsum?

Cicero’s original passage isn’t like-for-like to the modern-day lorem ipsum however, leading to speculation that the lorem ipsum as we know and love in the modern day was either mistranslated or misprinted in its earliest uses within the print industry during the 1960s.

Leaving history behind, the usage and popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) today are rife. There’s an AI tool for almost anything, and there’s a huge amount of tools specifically for AI text generation, where AI is perhaps far more prominently used.

As a Squarespace Circle member, I’ve been designing and building websites on the platform for over a decade. Squarespace has just announced the introduction of its AI text generation tool. It’s great if you need to generate some relevant copy quickly and on demand. It’s very similar to the AI text generation tools you may have seen within Notion or ToDoist, a couple of platforms I’m an avid user of.

How do I get AI text in Squarespace?

To use the AI text generation within Squarespace, you’ll need to locate a text box or add in a new one.

Clicking within your text box reveals the lightning bolt icon on the left-side of the floating toolbar. Click on this.

If it’s the first time using it on your Squarespace website, you’ll get a warning, that tells you the obvious advice that you should check the output carefully! Check the box to continue and it’s time to write your prompt.

I added the prompt below. This window can definitely be improved and I’m sure it will be in time. It’s slightly annoying not being able to see your full prompt, especially if you want to provide a lot of context. The GENERATE button doesn’t stand out too well either. Enough of my moaning though, let’s hit the GENERATE button to get our output.

Introduce my brand which specialises in building premium wood cabins in the wilderness for those who prefer the quiet life

And here’s our reply:

At this point, click INSERT, even before reading it. Clicking away will lose the response and you’ll have to generate it again — it’s also much easier to read and get a sense of how much space it will take up on your page once the text is within your text box. Here’s our result…

Introducing our brand, the perfect solution for those who yearn for a peaceful and serene lifestyle filled with the beauty of nature — premium wood cabins built in the heart of the wilderness. Nestled amidst lush forests, far from the bustling cities and the chaos of modern living, our cabins are built with an unwavering focus on quality, design, and comfort. Each one of them has been created to help you escape the mundane and embrace the richness of nature that is so often forgotten in today’s fast-paced world. At our company, we take pride in our craftsmanship. Our team of skilled professionals uses only the finest quality wood so that each cabin is sturdy and long-lasting. With sweeping views of the trees, our cabins create an ambiance of pure tranquility and peace, allowing you to revel in the joys of a simpler life. We don’t only build cabins, we build a lifestyle, one where you can disconnect from the world and connect with the serene beauty of nature. Our cabins are equipped with all the modern amenities necessary to make your stay comfortable, so you can spend your days exploring the great outdoors, fishing, hiking, or simply enjoying the peace and calm of the wilderness. In addition, we provide customisation options to ensure that

I’m happy with that. I’ve found some I’ve generated with Squarespace’s AI have been a bit too wordy, but this works. I’m also very impressed that it’s identified my language as UK English, as opposed to US English, evident by the use of “customised” over “customized”, for example). I am assuming it reads the site settings to know this.

The only negative here though, is that it has just cut off at the end. I don’t know if there’s a word limit on text generations, or if it generates enough only to fill up your text box — which would be pretty neat. I’ll have to do some further digging here.

With the ability to generate relevant text in a matter of seconds whilst building a website on Squarespace, why would we ever need to use lorem ipsum again? Cicero, your trusty passage served us extremely well, but AI has decided that it’s time to move on.