Yes, a growing portion of development, especially frontend boilerplate, is becoming automated. But automation doesn’t eliminate development; It changes its shape. The real question isn’t whether coding disappears. It’s: What does development become when repetitive UI work is largely automated?
Here’s one direction I see emerging: the rise of variable frontends.
Today, most frontends are hardcoded into predefined states and flows. Even "dynamic" apps operate within rigid UI structures designed ahead of time. But as AI systems become more capable, I believe we’ll move toward frontends that are generated in response to context.
Instead of designing every screen manually, developers will configure systems, data models, workflows, constraints, and AI will generate interfaces dynamically around them.
This is already starting in small ways through open-source tooling and AI-driven UI frameworks. Over time, it will become more common.
Imagine: - A mobile app that generates its interface based on the task you’re trying to complete. Maybe a new OS that redefines the concept of apps altogether?
- A web app whose layout adapts in real time to user intent.
- Admin panels that construct themselves from backend schemas.
- Internal tools that reshape their UI based on role, workflow, or goal.
In this world, the frontend isn't always a fixed artifact. It has capabilities of a fluid layer generated from logic, context, and intent.
Development doesn’t disappear. It shifts from manually building screens to designing systems that generate them, where applicable.
This shift will introduce new layers of complexity. As frontends become dynamic and AI-generated, teams will push them to handle more personalization, edge cases, and advanced workflows. The difficulty won’t disappear. It will move from building screens to controlling, constraining, and validating what those systems generate.
That’s the evolution I see coming.
(PS: I used AI to improve my writing here)