DotJS 2025: AI, Web 2.5, inclusion and ethics at the heart of JavaScript

We identified three major themes that stood out at this edition: the practical applications of artificial intelligence in development, a strategic evolution of the backend, and the growing importance of inclusion and ethics in our work environments.
 

Let’s take a closer look at these three key areas!

DotJS 2025: How AI Is Transforming JavaScript Development

MCP: AI is revolutionizing JavaScript development with the Model Control Protocol

Artificial intelligence was one of the key themes at DotJS 2025. Angie Jones opened the conference by introducing the Model Control Protocol (MCP), a protocol that perfectly illustrates how deeply AI is now integrated into our development tools. What stood out wasn’t just the announcement itself, but the real, practical impact this shift is having. We're no longer in a testing phase. AI is now helping us prototype faster, generate meaningful code from simple ideas, and explore directions we might not have considered otherwise.

GenAIScript: The AI tool reinventing DevOps workflows

Later in the day, Yohan Lasorsa, also known as Sinedied, highlighted how powerful AI can be when it aligns with DevOps practices. Many of us are starting to delegate more tasks to AI, with increasing efficiency and a bit of welcomed laziness. With GenAIScript, that delegation reaches a new level. The tool can automate peer reviews, respond intelligently to GitHub issues, generate clearer and more detailed changelogs than current libraries, and even produce Ghibli-style visuals that push GPUs to their limits.

Concrete AI use cases in JavaScript: Advice from Wes Bos

To round out the day, Wes Bos, the well-known Canadian YouTuber famous for his clear and motivating JavaScript tutorials, offered a grounded look at how AI is already being used in everyday development. He didn’t focus on futuristic promises or abstract ideas. Instead, he shared simple, accessible, and ready-to-use examples. These included creating text-to-speech features with different voice tones and, most impressively, removing image backgrounds using just a few lines of AI-assisted code.

That’s the real strength of a conference like DotJS. You walk away with ideas you can apply the very next day, and a renewed motivation to explore, learn, and build.

Deno and OpenTelemetry: A Strategic Move for the JavaScript Backend

Ryan Dahl, creator of Node.js and Deno, presented a new feature in development for Deno that could reshape the backend JavaScript landscape. Deno will soon integrate OpenTelemetry directly into its debugging system, potentially eliminating the long hours spent debugging with console.log statements or wrestling with complex third-party packages.

Thanks to this integration, developers will have access to full tracing and precise timing, all within a simplified graphical interface.

Inclusion and Ethics at the Heart of DotJS

Inclusion and Neurodiversity: Rethinking Development

Abbey Perini, full-stack JavaScript developer and speaker, tackled the topic of ADHD in the development world and, more broadly, neurodiversity. It was a moment that was both moving and powerful, emphasizing the importance of kindness and inclusion in our work environments. ADHD manifests in many ways: attention issues, hyperactivity, cognitive fatigue, strong memory, ease or difficulty with learning… all characteristics that can mistakenly be perceived as distraction or disengagement. Yet these behaviors aren’t choices, they stem from how the brain naturally functions.

It’s essential to recognize these differences, not to label people, but to create environments where they can thrive rather than risk being sidelined within a team.

Abbey Perini recommended structured and time-bound frameworks—such as sprints or ticket-based workflows, already common in tech, that help people with ADHD stay focused, engaged, and able to channel their energy and creativity effectively.

We often talk about accessibility in terms of user interfaces, but the way we build teams and tools is too often overlooked. Writing good code isn't just about technical skill; it’s about respecting differences and fostering human collaboration. After all, we work with people, not machines… at least for now.

Toward a More Ethical, Local-First Web

Kyle Simpson, author of You Don’t Know JS, shared an equally compelling vision: the “local-first web,” or what he calls “Web 2.5.” This approach is about reclaiming control over data by reducing over-dependence on decentralization, and building apps that work locally first, then sync to the cloud. It’s not just a technical choice, it’s a question of ethics, sustainability, and trust. In a world where everything is becoming “as-a-service,” this model empowers both developers and users.

In practical terms, it means storing core data on the user’s device, with the server acting as a helper rather than a requirement. The result: improved privacy, better performance, greater app resilience, and lower infrastructure costs thanks to simpler architectures.

Kyle also introduced libraries that make local-first development easier, such as Replicache, YJS, and AutoMerge. For those still unsure about the model’s potential, he pointed to well-known examples: Spotify for music streaming, Obsidian for markdown-based note-taking, and Linear as a strong competitor to Notion.

There’s still so much to explore, test, and understand. But what we take away from this experience is a renewed desire to experiment, to share what we discover, and to adopt a different mindset. Above all, we’re reminded to keep learning, endlessly.

The concepts and innovations presented at DotJS 2025 are just a glimpse of what web development could become in the near future. Artificial intelligence, in particular, is only just beginning. Its potential is enormous… but still unclear. Will it remain a powerful partner for developers and digital professionals? Or will it become a force of replacement?

What happens next depends on our collective ability to shape it, guide it, and turn it into a tool for progress, rather than a threat.

Brian Bellamy, Senior Front-end Developer

Mohamed Ali Grissa, Head of the Front-end Web Community