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# WeAreDevelopers LIVE - 11ty and a11y

Kitty Giraudel proves why server-side generation beats runtime JavaScript. Discover how to build lightning-fast, fully accessible static sites with Eleventy while navigating today's AI and security traps.

- **Speakers:** [Chris Heilmann](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@chris-heilmann), [Daniel Cranney](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@daniel-cranney), Kitty Giraudel
- **Event:** WeAreDevelopers LIVE
- **Published:** March 11, 2026
- **Duration:** 1:05:26
- **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1822-wearedevelopers-live-11ty-and-a11y

## Summary

The conversation explores the shifting landscape of web development and AI, touching on modern challenges like WordPress serving Markdown specifically for LLMs and the critical distinction between AI-generated code that is merely plausible versus genuinely correct. The discussion highlights growing privacy and security concerns across the tech industry, spanning from Meta’s smart glasses exposing unencrypted data to human reviewers, to the risks of npm postinstall scripts serving as vectors for supply chain malware.

Moving beyond generative AI, the hosts examine the psychological impact of UX dark patterns, dissecting how modern self-ordering kiosks use time pressure and specific color triggers to drive impulsive consumer choices. This bridges into a reflection on web history and the evolution of front-end capabilities, contrasting the chaotic design era of the 1990s with today's powerful native CSS features like sticky headers and standardized web APIs.

A significant focus centers on static site generation capabilities using Eleventy (11ty), Liquid, and Markdown. Guest Kitty Giraudel breaks down their robust approach to generating customizable, build-time table of contents for documentation, emphasizing the core performance benefits of server-side generation over runtime JavaScript solutions. The session wraps up with a strong advocacy for digital equity, reinforcing that building an inclusive, fully accessible web should remain a foundational priority regardless of the underlying technology stack.

**Keywords:** eleventy static site generation, markdown content for ai agents, llm code correctness vs plausibility, npm postinstall script vulnerabilities, smart glasses data privacy, ai de-anonymization threats, ux dark patterns psychology, liquid templating engine syntax, build-time table of contents, css native sticky headers, wordpress markdown rendering, google workspace ai integration, frontend security auditing, web accessibility implementation, historical web design evolution

## Chapters

1. **Navigating the job market and engineering management opportunities** (00:04) — Transitioning between developer and engineering management roles requires flexibility in a fluctuating technical job market.
1. **Serving markdown files to artificial intelligence web crawlers** (02:57) — Providing raw markdown content to crawler bots strips unnecessary boilerplate and reduces token consumption for large language models.
1. **Evaluating artificial intelligence code generation for structural correctness** (06:50) — Code generated by large language models often mimics plausible patterns while obscuring critical performance bottlenecks and bugs.
1. **Privacy implications and compliance risks of wearable smart glasses** (10:51) — Continuous background recording by smart glasses introduces severe ethical dilemmas regarding public surveillance and data privacy.
1. **Mitigating supply chain attacks via automated post-install hooks** (15:49) — Disabling execution scripts during dependency installations limits the attack vector for malicious payload injections on developer machines.
1. **De-anonymizing internet user identities with large language models** (19:40) — The capability of algorithms to cross-reference seemingly harmless data points severely threatens online anonymity and digital pseudonyms.
1. **Exposing application programming interface vulnerabilities in robotic devices** (24:49) — Poorly secured device tokens grant unauthorized individuals widespread control and access to private geographical tracking data.
1. **Integrating artificial intelligence agents into personal productivity suites** (28:03) — Granting automated agents complete control over personal file systems creates major concerns around unintended data manipulation and privacy.
1. **Analyzing dark patterns and user psychology in digital kiosks** (31:50) — Deliberately confusing user interfaces function to impose time pressure and manipulate customers into expanding their transactional habits.
1. **Examining the historical evolution of web design practices** (36:10) — Early unconventional decisions in hypertext markup language layout reveal foundational ideas that eventually shaped modern web standards.
1. **Measuring soft navigation performance in single-page applications** (38:00) — Advancements in web browser APIs allow precise tracking of user interactions without relying on traditional full-page loads.
1. **Verifying authentic industry news against fabricated technology headlines** (41:15) — Identifying factual developments from fictional scenarios highlights current boundaries in technological innovation and consumer electronics capabilities.
1. **Generating automated document outlines in static site frameworks** (44:21) — Extracting heading elements sequentially during the build phase ensures reliable table of contents generation without runtime execution.
1. **Utilizing template languages for robust markup compilation processes** (47:35) — Applying processing layers allows developers to manipulate underlying source files dynamically before writing static output natively into browsers.
1. **Maintaining control over frontend architecture with lightweight abstractions** (50:16) — Selecting tools that resolve repetitive rendering logic empowers developers to retain absolute control over final output layers.
1. **Integrating local build testing and markdown text editors** (54:02) — Processing content within lightweight text editors supports streamlined markdown structuring and allows embedded validation syntax against rendering failures.
1. **Preserving authentic author voice when drafting technical literature** (58:40) — Depending on generative algorithms to draft entire articles creates emotionally detached outputs that lack distinct character and tone.
1. **Migrating legacy content management systems to markdown platforms** (59:52) — Seamlessly translating extensive historical database entries into functional file structures requires customized extraction hooks and automated reformatting logic.
1. **Prioritizing web accessibility standards for inclusive digital experiences** (63:25) — Deliberate incorporation of accessibility principles during initial development guarantees usable experiences across varying physical capabilities and devices.

## Related Moments

- [Audience Q&A on AI documentation formatting and tools](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100199-making-documentation-ai-ready-preparing-your-docs-for-the-llm-era) (from "Making Documentation AI-Ready: Preparing Your Docs for the LLM Era")
- [Adapting modern web architecture for artificial intelligence crawlers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1287-chatgpt-vs-google-seo-in-the-age-of-ai-search-eric-enge) (from "ChatGPT vs Google: SEO in the Age of AI Search - Eric Enge")
- [Navigating web element APIs and emerging software vulnerabilities](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1362-wearedevelopers-live-our-world-congress-2025-code100-highlights-with-jack-barber-and-marco-podien) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Our World Congress 2025 & CODE100 Highlights with Jack Barber and Marco Podien")
- [Shifting developer workloads and realistic AI productivity gains](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1830-wearedevelopers-live-speculaitions) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - SpeculAItions")
- [Addressing psychological safety and ethical risks of AI adoption](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1950-the-scrum-master-as-an-orchestrator-guiding-human-ai-collaboration-in-modern-teams) (from "The Scrum Master as an Orchestrator: Guiding Human–AI Collaboration in Modern Teams")
- [Security integration and AI skepticism in developer tooling](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1830-wearedevelopers-live-speculaitions) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - SpeculAItions")

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