Case Study: thorium90.app

The AI-Native Platform That's Redefining Website Development

Executive Summary

thorium90.app represents a fundamental shift in how websites are built and maintained. By making AI the core infrastructure rather than an add-on feature, thorium90.app eliminates the traditional CMS, developer, designer, content strategist, and SEO specialist roles—consolidating them into a single, intelligent system. This case study examines the proprietary concept demonstration of thorium90.app currently being tested and refined at travissutphin.com, exploring how this AI-native approach could revolutionize website development.

Note: thorium90.app is a proprietary concept demo platform, not currently available for public use. It is being actively developed and tested using travissutphin.com as the primary testing site.

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The Traditional Problem

For decades, website development has followed the same pattern:

• Traditional CMS platforms (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla) require extensive plugin ecosystems, constant security updates, and technical expertise
• Development teams need designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, content strategists, and SEO specialists
• Launch timelines stretch from weeks to months for even simple sites
• Maintenance costs compound as complexity increases
• Scalability challenges emerge as traffic and content grow

The result? A $400+ billion global web development industry built on complexity, where even "simple" website changes require technical intervention.

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The thorium90.app Approach

thorium90.app takes a radically different approach by asking a fundamental question: What if AI wasn't bolted onto a traditional CMS, but WAS the CMS?

AI as Infrastructure, Not Feature

Unlike platforms that add AI tools to existing CMS architectures (like WordPress + Jetpack AI or HubSpot + ChatSpot), thorium90.app is built AI-first:

• No database dependencies - Content lives in AI-optimized structures
• No plugin ecosystem - Functionality emerges from AI capabilities
• No theme marketplace - Design adapts through AI understanding
• No update cycles - The platform evolves with AI model improvements

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Case Study: travissutphin.com

Background

Travis Sutphin needed a professional website to showcase his Fractional CTO services, focusing on helping founders complete stuck AI projects. The requirements were typical of modern business websites:

• Clean, professional design
• Fast load times
• SEO optimization
• Easy content updates
• Mobile responsiveness
• Conversion-focused layout

Implementation

Timeline: Hours, not weeks

The entire travissutphin.com website was built and deployed using thorium90.app with:

• No traditional development team
• No designer creating mockups
• No front-end developer writing code
• No back-end developer setting up databases
• No content strategist planning information architecture
• No SEO specialist optimizing metadata

How AI Replaced Traditional Roles:

1. AI as CMS

   • Content is understood contextually, not stored in rigid database fields
   • No need to define custom post types, taxonomies, or schemas
   • Updates happen conversationally: "Add a new service offering about AI automation"

2. AI as Developer

   • Generated semantic HTML5 structure
   • Implemented responsive CSS without frameworks
   • Created performant JavaScript where needed
   • Optimized asset loading and caching
   • No code to maintain or debug

3. AI as Designer

   • Analyzed industry best practices for tech consultant websites
   • Applied visual hierarchy principles
   • Ensured brand consistency
   • Created mobile-first responsive layouts
   • No design files, just intelligent execution

4. AI as Content Strategist

   • Structured information for optimal user journeys
   • Balanced technical credibility with approachability
   • Crafted compelling calls-to-action
   • Organized services for clarity and conversion

5. AI as SEO Specialist

   • Generated semantic HTML5 for better crawlability
   • Optimized meta descriptions and title tags
   • Structured content for featured snippets
   • Ensured fast load times (Core Web Vitals)
   • Created logical internal linking structure

Results

Speed to Market:

• Traditional approach: 2-4 weeks minimum
• thorium90.app approach: Same day launch

Cost Reduction:

• Traditional website: $5,000-$15,000 minimum
• thorium90.app: Fraction of traditional costs

Performance Metrics:

• Clean, professional appearance
• Fast load times
• Mobile-responsive
• SEO-optimized from day one
• Conversion-focused layout

Ease of Updates:

Traditional: "I need to update my services page"
→ Log into WordPress
→ Navigate to Pages
→ Find the right page
→ Edit in block editor
→ Preview changes
→ Publish
→ Check mobile view
→ Fix responsive issues
→ Update meta description
→ Clear cache

AI-Native Approach: "Update my services page to include AI automation"
→ Done

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The Revolutionary Implications

1. Democratization of Professional Websites

The thorium90.app concept demonstrates how AI-native platforms could remove technical barriers that have excluded millions from having professional online presence:

• No coding knowledge required - Natural language is the only "programming language" needed
• No design skills required - AI understands design principles and best practices
• No technical expertise required - No servers, databases, or configuration files to manage

2. Time Compression

What traditionally takes weeks or months now happens in hours:

• Concept to launch: Same day
• Major updates: Minutes, not hours
• Complete redesigns: Hours, not weeks
• New features: Conversational request, not development sprints

3. Cost Disruption

The traditional cost structure of website development collapses:

• No agency retainers - $5,000-$50,000+ eliminated
• No maintenance contracts - $500-$2,000/month eliminated
• No emergency developer calls - $150-$300/hour eliminated
• No plugin subscriptions - $10-$100/month per plugin eliminated

4. Quality Improvement

Counterintuitively, removing human specialists can improve quality:

• Consistency: AI applies best practices uniformly
• No technical debt: No accumulation of quick fixes or workarounds
• Always current: Benefits from continuous AI improvements
• No human error: No forgotten alt tags, broken links, or SEO oversights

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The Advantages

Scalability Without Complexity

Traditional sites become harder to manage as they grow. thorium90.app scales linearly:

• Adding 10 pages: Same difficulty as adding 1 page
• Adding new features: Conversational request, not development project
• Traffic spikes: Infrastructure handles automatically
• Content updates: No performance degradation with size

Ease of Use

The thorium90.app concept demonstrates how anyone who can describe what they want could manage an AI-native site:

Traditional WordPress:
"I want to add a testimonials section with rotating quotes and star ratings"
→ Research testimonial plugins
→ Install and configure plugin
→ Design custom CSS
→ Add individual testimonials
→ Test responsiveness
→ Debug conflicts with theme
→ Optimize loading speed
→ Total time: 2-4 hours

AI-Native Approach:
"Add a testimonials section with rotating quotes and star ratings"
→ Done
→ Total time: Seconds

Ease of Change

Pivots that would require complete rebuilds become trivial:

• Rebranding: Describe new brand identity, applied instantly
• Content strategy shifts: Reorganize entire site conversationally
• Design refreshes: Request modern updates without starting over
• Feature additions: No dependency on developer availability

What WordPress Wishes It Could Be

WordPress promised "democratizing publishing." The thorium90.app concept demonstrates what true democratization could look like:

Aspect	WordPress	AI-Native Concept
Setup Complexity	Hosting, database, configuration	None - instant start
Learning Curve	Blocks, themes, plugins, settings	Natural language
Maintenance	Updates, security, backups, conflicts	Zero - handled automatically
Customization	Child themes, CSS, PHP	Conversational requests
Security	Constant vigilance, plugin vulnerabilities	No attack surface
Performance	Optimization plugins, caching layers	Built-in, automatic
Scalability	Complex hosting upgrades	Infinite, transparent
Cost to Maintain	Ongoing technical expertise	None

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The Challenges

1. Loss of Granular Control

The Trade-off:
Traditional developers have pixel-perfect control. thorium90.app concept users would guide outcomes conversationally.

Impact:

• Power users may feel constrained
• Custom integrations may be challenging
• Specific technical requirements may be difficult

Mitigation:

• Most users don't need granular control
• AI understanding improves with detailed descriptions
• The 95% use case is perfectly served

2. Black Box Concerns

The Challenge:
Users don't see the underlying code, architecture, or data structures.

Valid Concerns:

• How is data stored?
• What happens if thorium90.app shuts down?
• Can I export my site?
• Who controls the content?

Considerations:
This mirrors the evolution of computing itself. Most users don't understand their operating system's kernel, but trust it. The question becomes: Do the benefits outweigh the loss of transparency?

3. AI Limitations

Current Constraints:

• AI can misinterpret vague requests
• May require iteration to achieve desired outcome
• Edge cases may require human intervention
• Novel requests may not map to best practices

Reality Check:
These same issues exist with human developers, just expressed differently:

Traditional: "The developer didn't understand my vision"
thorium90.app concept: "The AI didn't interpret my request correctly"

The difference? Iterating with AI would be instant and included; iterating with developers is slow and expensive.

4. Trust and Reliability

Questions Organizations Ask:

• Is this production-ready?
• What about uptime guarantees?
• How do I get support?
• What if something breaks?

Honest Assessment:
These are valid enterprise concerns that any new platform must address. thorium90.app represents a paradigm shift, and conservative organizations may prefer battle-tested solutions until the platform matures.

5. SEO and Technical Debt

Concern:
If the underlying code is AI-generated, will it meet technical SEO requirements? Will it create long-term maintainability issues?

Counter-Argument:

• AI can implement semantic HTML better than most developers
• No technical debt accumulates (no legacy code)
• Search engines evaluate results, not methods
• Early results from travissutphin.com show proper technical implementation

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Scalability Analysis

Horizontal Scaling

Traditional Approach:

100 pages → Need database optimization
1,000 pages → Need caching layers
10,000 pages → Need CDN and advanced caching
100,000 pages → Need dedicated infrastructure team

AI-Native Approach:

100 pages → Same complexity as 10
1,000 pages → Same complexity as 10
10,000 pages → Same complexity as 10
100,000 pages → Same complexity as 10

Why?
AI doesn't experience cognitive load. Managing 1 or 1,000,000 pieces of content is algorithmically equivalent.

Vertical Scaling

Traffic Handling:
Traditional sites require:

• Hosting tier upgrades
• Load balancer configuration
• Database read replicas
• Cache warming strategies

thorium90.app handles infrastructure automatically, similar to platforms like Vercel or Netlify, but with AI managing the entire stack.

Team Scaling

Perhaps most importantly:

Traditional Website Growth:

• 1 website → 1 developer part-time
• 10 websites → Small agency (5-10 people)
• 100 websites → Medium agency (20-50 people)
• 1,000 websites → Large operation (100+ people)

AI-Native Platform Growth:

• 1 website → 1 person
• 10 websites → 1 person
• 100 websites → Still 1 person
• 1,000 websites → Still 1 person (with better prompts)

This is the true scaling revolution: knowledge work that doesn't require proportional human scaling.

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The Competitive Landscape

How thorium90.app Differs from AI-Enhanced CMS

Platforms Adding AI (WordPress + Jetpack AI, HubSpot + ChatSpot):

• AI is a feature, not the foundation
• Still requires traditional CMS expertise
• AI augments human workflow
• Backwards compatibility constraints limit innovation

AI-Native Approach (thorium90.app concept):

• AI is the entire platform
• No traditional CMS to learn
• AI replaces human workflow
• No legacy architecture to maintain

The Analogy: Electric vs Gas Cars

Traditional CMS + AI Features = Hybrid Cars

• Combines old and new technology
• Complex internal systems
• Maintenance overhead from both systems

thorium90.app = Pure Electric

• Built from ground up for new paradigm
• Simpler internal systems
• Native advantages of the new approach

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Use Cases Where AI-Native Platforms Like thorium90.app Would Excel

Note: thorium90.app is a proprietary concept demo. These use cases illustrate where such platforms could provide value when publicly available.

1. Rapid Prototyping and MVP Development

Scenario: Startup needs to validate idea with landing page

Traditional Path:

• Hire freelance developer: $2,000-$5,000
• Timeline: 1-2 weeks
• Changes: $100-$200/hour

AI-Native Concept Approach (If Available):

• Build: Hours
• Cost: Platform subscription model
• Iteration: Instant and unlimited

2. Small Business Websites

Scenario: Local business needs professional web presence

Traditional Path:

• DIY WordPress: Overwhelming complexity
• Hire agency: $5,000-$15,000
• Maintenance: Ongoing technical skills required

AI-Native Concept Approach (If Available):

• Build: Same day
• Manage: Conversational updates
• Maintain: Zero technical knowledge required

3. Personal Brands and Consultants

Scenario: Professional needs to showcase expertise (like travissutphin.com)

Traditional Path:

• Build: 2-4 weeks
• Cost: $5,000-$10,000
• Updates: Requires developer time

AI-Native Concept Approach (If Available):

• Build: Hours
• Update: "Add my latest article"
• Evolution: Continuous improvement through conversation

4. Content-Heavy Sites

Scenario: Publication with hundreds of articles

Traditional Pain Points:

• Category/taxonomy management
• Custom post type configuration
• Template hierarchy confusion
• Performance degradation

AI-Native Concept Advantages (If Available):

• AI understands content relationships naturally
• No manual taxonomy management
• Infinite scalability
• Consistent performance

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Use Cases Where Traditional Approaches May Be Better

1. Complex E-commerce

Limitations:

• Payment processing integration specifics
• Inventory management systems
• Complex checkout workflows
• Existing e-commerce platform integrations

Verdict: Established platforms like Shopify still excel here (though this may change)

2. Enterprise Requirements

Challenges:

• Compliance and audit requirements
• Custom authentication systems
• Legacy system integrations
• Granular access controls

Verdict: Conservative enterprises may require battle-tested solutions

3. Highly Custom Applications

Scenarios:

• Proprietary algorithms
• Custom data visualizations
• Complex user interactions
• Specialized functionality

Verdict: Custom development may be necessary for truly unique requirements

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The Business Model Disruption

What Gets Unbundled

thorium90.app unbundles the traditional web development value chain:

Web Design Agencies: $50-$200/hour eliminated
Front-end Development: $75-$150/hour eliminated
Back-end Development: $100-$200/hour eliminated
Content Strategy: $75-$150/hour eliminated
SEO Services: $100-$200/hour eliminated
Ongoing Maintenance: $500-$2,000/month eliminated

What Gets Created

New Value Propositions:

• Instant website generation
• Unlimited revisions
• Always-optimized performance
• Continuous improvement without manual intervention

New Business Models:

• Subscription for infinite websites
• Usage-based pricing
• Outcome-based pricing (pay for results, not hours)

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Technical Deep Dive

How It Actually Works (Hypothetical Architecture)

While the internal architecture isn't publicly documented, we can infer the likely approach:

Traditional CMS Stack:

User Request
  ↓
PHP/Node.js Application Layer
  ↓
Database (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
  ↓
File System
  ↓
HTML Response

thorium90.app AI-Native Stack:

User Request (Natural Language)
  ↓
AI Understanding Layer (Intent Recognition)
  ↓
AI Generation Layer (Content + Design + Code)
  ↓
Optimization Layer (Performance + SEO)
  ↓
Delivery Layer (Static Files + CDN)
  ↓
HTML Response

Key Technical Advantages

1. No Database Bottlenecks

• Traditional sites slow down with large databases
• thorium90.app would generate optimal output on-demand

2. Native Optimization

• Traditional sites require optimization plugins
• thorium90.app would optimize at generation time

3. Security by Design

• Traditional sites have attack surfaces (admin panels, databases, plugins)
• thorium90.app would have minimal attack surface

4. Version Control Built-in

• Traditional sites require manual backups
• thorium90.app would maintain version history automatically

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The Future Implications

Short Term (1-2 Years)

Adoption Curve:

• Early adopters: Solopreneurs, startups, consultants
• Growth area: Small businesses replacing WordPress
• Resistance: Agencies, enterprise, complex sites

Platform Evolution:

• Improved AI understanding
• Better iteration capabilities
• Enhanced customization through conversation
• Integration with common third-party services

Medium Term (3-5 Years)

Market Disruption:

• Significant erosion of WordPress market share
• Traditional agencies adapt or perish
• New "AI website consultants" emerge (helping craft better prompts)
• Major platforms acquire or compete with AI-native solutions

Capability Expansion:

• E-commerce functionality improves
• Complex application development becomes viable
• Real-time personalization at scale
• Predictive content optimization

Long Term (5-10 Years)

Paradigm Shift:

• AI-native becomes default approach
• "Traditional web developer" becomes niche specialty
• Website creation as instantaneous as document creation
• The concept of "website maintenance" becomes obsolete

Philosophical Questions:

• What is the role of human creativity when AI can execute vision instantly?
• How do we value digital work when creation becomes effortless?
• What happens to the web development education industry?

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Lessons for Other Industries

The thorium90.app concept provides a blueprint for AI transformation across industries:

1. AI as Infrastructure, Not Feature

Wrong Approach: Add AI chatbot to existing software
Right Approach: Rebuild software with AI as foundation

2. Consolidation of Roles

Old Model: Specialized roles with handoffs
New Model: AI handling multiple roles seamlessly

3. Natural Language Interfaces

Old Model: GUI with buttons, forms, menus
New Model: Conversational interaction

4. Outcome-Focused, Not Process-Focused

Old Model: Sell hours and expertise
New Model: Sell results and capabilities

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Recommendations

For Those Interested in AI-Native Website Platforms

This Concept Would Be Ideal For:

• Those who need professional websites quickly
• Those who want to control their own content easily
• Those who value speed and simplicity over granular control
• Those comfortable with AI making implementation decisions
• Organizations with website needs within common use cases

Traditional CMS May Still Be Preferable For:

• Those needing highly specific customizations
• Those requiring granular control over every detail
• Organizations with complex third-party integrations
• Conservative industries requiring proven solutions
• Those who prefer understanding exactly how things work

Note: thorium90.app is currently proprietary and not available for public use. This analysis explores the potential implications of such platforms when they become available.

For Web Professionals

Threats:

• Low-end web development work will be commoditized
• "Build a basic website" will no longer be a viable service
• Technical skills alone will be insufficient

Opportunities:

• Specialize in complex problems AI can't solve yet
• Become "AI website consultants" helping optimize prompts
• Focus on strategy and vision rather than implementation
• Build tools and services on top of AI-native platforms

For Platform Builders

Key Insights:

• Don't retrofit AI onto legacy architecture
• Focus on natural language interfaces
• Make AI the core infrastructure
• Eliminate unnecessary complexity
• Prioritize user outcomes over technical elegance

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Conclusion

thorium90.app represents more than just another website concept—it's a proprietary demonstration of the future of digital creation. By making AI the foundation rather than a feature, this approach collapses traditional complexity and demonstrates how professional web presence could become accessible to anyone who can describe what they want.

The Bottom Line

What the thorium90.app Concept Demonstrates:

• Radical simplification of website creation is possible
• True democratization of professional web presence is achievable
• Unprecedented speed and ease of updates can be reality
• Cost reduction of 90%+ versus traditional development is feasible
• Scalability without proportional complexity increase is attainable

What Remains to Be Proven:

• Long-term reliability and platform stability
• Handling of truly complex use cases
• Enterprise adoption and trust building
• Economic sustainability as technology commoditizes
• Public market readiness and availability

The Verdict:
For the majority of websites that need to exist—small businesses, consultants, portfolios, simple e-commerce, content sites—AI-native platforms like the thorium90.app concept represent the future. The question isn't whether this approach will work, but how quickly traditional approaches will become obsolete once such platforms become publicly available.

travissutphin.com stands as a working proof of concept: A professional, performant, SEO-optimized website built and maintained using the proprietary thorium90.app concept platform currently in active development and testing. That this is even possible would have seemed like science fiction a few years ago.

We're watching the website industry experience its "iPhone moment"—a fundamental reimagining that makes previous approaches feel suddenly antiquated. The web developers who thrive in this new era won't be those who fight the change, but those who figure out how to add value in a world where technical execution is commoditized.

The revolution isn't coming. It's already here. And it's being refined at travissutphin.com.

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Appendix: Technical Specifications

Performance Metrics (travissutphin.com)

• Page Load Speed: Fast (sub-second load times)
• Mobile Responsiveness: Fully responsive across devices
• SEO Score: Properly implemented semantic HTML and meta tags
• Accessibility: Meets basic accessibility standards
• Security: HTTPS with proper SSL implementation

Comparative Timeline

Task	Traditional WordPress	AI-Native Concept
Initial Setup	2-4 hours	Instant
Design Implementation	8-16 hours	Minutes
Content Entry	4-8 hours	Minutes
SEO Optimization	2-4 hours	Automatic
Responsive Testing	2-4 hours	Automatic
Launch Preparation	2-4 hours	Automatic
TOTAL	20-40 hours	< 1 hour

Cost Comparison (First Year)

Category	Traditional	AI-Native Concept
Design	$2,000-$5,000	$0
Development	$3,000-$10,000	$0
Hosting	$100-$300	Included
Maintenance	$600-$2,400	$0
Updates	$500-$2,000	$0
SEO	$1,000-$3,000	$0
TOTAL	$7,200-$22,700	Concept savings

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Would thorium90.app be suitable for e-commerce websites?

A: The thorium90.app concept is optimized for content-focused websites like portfolios, consultancy sites, blogs, and small business marketing sites. E-commerce functionality with complex inventory management, payment processing, and checkout flows would require additional development. For straightforward product pages or service booking, it could work well, but established e-commerce platforms like Shopify remain better suited for traditional online stores at this time.

Q: Would technical knowledge be required to use thorium90.app?

A: The concept is designed so that no technical knowledge would be required. If you can describe what you want in plain language, an AI-native platform like thorium90.app could build it. The platform concept targets non-technical users—founders, consultants, small business owners—who need professional websites without learning to code, design, or manage complex CMS platforms like WordPress.

Q: How secure would a website built with thorium90.app be?

A: The thorium90.app concept is designed to follow modern security best practices including HTTPS encryption, secure data handling, and minimal attack surface by design. Unlike traditional CMS platforms with admin panels, plugin vulnerabilities, and database access points, an AI-native architecture would reduce potential security risks. However, as with any platform, following security best practices for specific use cases would remain important.

Q: Could existing WordPress sites be migrated to thorium90.app?

A: The concept envisions that content migration would be possible. Users would describe their existing site structure and content to the platform, which could recreate and potentially improve upon the original design. The process would be conversational rather than technical—no manual database exports or file transfers required. The timeline would typically be measured in hours rather than the weeks traditional migrations require.

Q: What would happen to a website if thorium90.app were to shut down?

A: This is a valid concern for any platform-dependent solution. Currently, thorium90.app is a proprietary concept platform being actively developed and tested. As concepts like this evolve toward potential public availability, export capabilities and data portability would be important considerations. This mirrors concerns about any cloud-based service (Shopify, Squarespace, etc.) and represents a trade-off between convenience and control.

Q: How would thorium90.app handle SEO?

A: The thorium90.app concept implements technical SEO best practices automatically—semantic HTML5 structure, optimized meta tags, fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and logical internal linking. The AI understands SEO principles and applies them consistently. Early results from the travissutphin.com testing site demonstrate proper implementation. However, content strategy and keyword research would remain important human inputs.

Q: Would custom domain names be supported with thorium90.app?

A: The platform concept includes custom domain integration. Users would be able to connect existing domains or register new ones. The process would be simplified compared to traditional hosting setups—no DNS configuration expertise required.

Q: How much would thorium90.app cost?

A: thorium90.app is currently a proprietary concept demo platform not available for public use. Pricing models would be determined if the platform evolves toward broader availability. The case study demonstrates potential cost savings compared to traditional development ($7,200-$22,700 first-year traditional costs vs. platform-based approach), but specific pricing would depend on the business model adopted.

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This case study is based on the proprietary concept demonstration of thorium90.app, currently being tested and refined at travissutphin.com. thorium90.app is not publicly available. This represents an analysis of AI-native website platforms. As the technology and platform evolve, updates to this analysis may be warranted.