Linda Tong on how Webflow is bringing AI to web development

Webflow has gone from a designer's tool to an enterprise platform used by companies like Dropbox, Upwork, and Jasper. At HumanX 2026, WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich sat down with Webflow CEO Linda Tong to talk about what AI means for web development — and why the companies betting on AI-native workflows are pulling ahead.

From no-code to AI-native

Webflow built its reputation by giving designers the power to build production-grade websites without writing code. But Linda Tong sees the current moment as something bigger than a feature upgrade.

"We've always believed that the web should be accessible to more people," Tong said. "AI doesn't change that mission — it accelerates it. We're moving from no-code to AI-native, where the platform understands what you're trying to build and helps you get there faster."

AI isn't bolted on as a chatbot sidebar. Webflow is embedding intelligence directly into the design and content workflows — from generating layout suggestions to optimizing copy for conversion.

Enterprise is the growth engine

One of the clearest shifts Tong described is Webflow's push upmarket. Enterprise teams have different needs: governance, collaboration at scale, brand consistency across hundreds of pages. AI makes those problems both harder and easier to manage.

"Enterprise customers don't just want speed," Tong explained. "They want control. They want to know that when AI generates something, it's on-brand, it's compliant, and it fits within their design system."

Webflow has been investing in features like roles and permissions, localization, and content workflows that let marketing teams move fast without breaking things. AI amplifies that — a marketing team can generate 50 landing page variants, but only if there's a system to govern what goes live.

The competitive market

Grinich asked Tong directly about the competitive pressure from AI website builders — tools that promise a full site from a single prompt.

Tong was candid: "A lot of those tools are great for getting a v1 out the door. But the web isn't a one-shot thing. You need to iterate, you need to maintain, you need to scale. That's where Webflow lives."

The hard part was never generating a website. The hard part is managing a website as a living product — updating content, running experiments, coordinating across teams, and maintaining performance. As AI makes the initial generation step straightforward, the management layer becomes the primary differentiator.

What's next for Webflow

Tong hinted at deeper AI integrations coming later this year, particularly around personalization and analytics. The vision is a platform where AI helps you build, understand what's working, and why.

"We want Webflow to be the place where you build, launch, and learn," Tong said. "AI closes that loop."

For developers and technical leaders evaluating web platforms, the no-code vs. code debate is becoming less relevant as AI reshapes both approaches. The more pressing question is whether your platform can use AI to make your team faster without sacrificing control.

This interview was recorded at HumanX 2026 in San Francisco.