Stop building static screens. Start orchestrating intelligence.
For a decade, we've built "dumb" UIs waiting for user input. In 2026, the UI builds itself.
Your job title isn't "Frontend Engineer" anymore. You are an AI Orchestrator.
The Shift: Users don't want to navigate menus. They want intent-based outcomes. "Plan my trip" shouldn't open a form; it should generate a map, a calendar, and a booking widget, custom-tailored to that specific request.
This requires a fundamental rethink of React architecture. We aren't just fetching JSON anymore; we are streaming Component Trees generated by LLMs.
02. Building Generative UI
Generative UI works by mapping LLM tool calls to React Server Components.
When the model decides to "show a stock chart", it doesn't just return text saying "Here is the chart". It calls a function showChart(symbol). On your server, this function executes and returns a serialized React Component <StockChart symbol="AAPL" /> which is streamed to the client.
// Server Side (AI Orchestration Layer)
async function submitUserMessage(content) {
"use server";
const uiStream = createStreamableUI();
const ai = streamText({
model: gpt4o,
messages: [{ role: 'user', content }],
tools: {
get_weather: {
description: 'Get the weather',
parameters: z.object({ location: z.string() }),
execute: async ({ location }) => {
// ⚡️ We are orchestrating UI, not just text!
uiStream.done( );
return `Shown weather for ${location}`;
}
}
}
});
return { ui: uiStream.value };
}