Frontend Development

AI For Frontend Development: 2.5x Performance Increase

Q: Is AI frontend development good enough to build a complete product without human input?

Not yet — and probably not for a long time. AI can generate code, but it doesn’t

Q: What are the weirdest mistakes during AI frontend development?

AI has a knack for doing things that technically work but make no sense. Sometimes, it suggests completely unnecessary functions like fetching the same data twice for no reason. Other times, it generates code that’s way more complex than needed, turning a simple two-line function into a tangled mess of ten. And also the bizarre naming choices — because who wouldn’t want a button component called

Q: What’s the best way to start using AI in front end development?

Start by using AI for code autocompletion and debugging with tools like GitHub Copilot or Cursor AI. Let it assist with data-fetching strategies and API integration to speed up development. As you gain confidence, use AI-generated code in CI/CD, testing, and performance optimization, maintaining control over the final output.

February 27, 2025•2 min read

The release of AI tools has raised questions about their impact on productivity and efficiency. To test this, we ran an experiment with two developers: one using a traditional workflow and the other using Cursor AI, one of the best AI for frontend development today.

The results were striking – the developer who used AI for frontend development completed the task in 2 hours and 20 minutes, while the traditionally working developer took 5 hours. In this case study, we will show the workflow, efficiency gains, and lessons learned from integrating AI in frontend development.

Experiment Setup

We gave both developers an identical task: build a post-display page and an activity panel using React, React Query, and Next.js. Both had the same technical specs and project setup to ensure a fair comparison.

Developer 1 (Illia): Worked without AI assistance, relying on manual coding, debugging, and documentation.
Developer 2 (Alex): Used Cursor AI for generating API hooks, structuring functions, and debugging.

Both developers successfully completed the task, delivering the same functional output. However, their workflows and time invested were vastly different.

Comparing the Approaches

Let's see how each developer worked and how AI frontend development saved time for Alex.

Traditional Development (Illia)

⏳ Total time spent: 5 hours

Workflow

API Calls & Hooks: Manually created API calls and React Query hooks for fetching post and activity data.
Data Processing: Wrote functions to merge post data with author details and activities with user info.
Pagination & Auto-Refresh: Implemented infinite scroll, pagination, and auto-refresh every 2 minutes.
Debugging: Spent significant time fixing errors in merging and formatting data.
UI & Interaction: Designed and refined UI for better user experience.

Challenges Faced

Debugging complex data merging functions was time-consuming.
Boilerplate code writing slowed down initial development, starting the first thoughts of how great it would be to use AI for front end development.

Where AI in Front-end Development Could Help

✅ Automating API hook generation and function structure
✅ Suggesting efficient ways to merge data across different requests
✅ Speeding up debugging by providing quick error analysis

AI-Assisted Development (Alex using Cursor AI)

⏳ Total time spent: 2 hours 20 minutes

Workflow

API Calls & Hooks: Used AI tools for frontend development like Cursor AI to generate API requests and hooks in seconds.
Data Processing: Let AI create a function for merging data from multiple API sources, only making minor adjustments.
Pagination & Auto-Refresh: AI suggested a React Query configuration for handling pagination and background updates.
Debugging: AI identified and explained errors instantly, reducing time spent fixing issues.
UI & Interaction: Manually refined UI elements, as AI was less effective in pixel-perfect adjustments.

Challenges Faced

AI-generated UI components still needed manual tweaking.
Some AI-suggested functions required minor refinements to fit the project architecture.

Key Advantages of AI for Frontend Development

✅ Generated boilerplate code instantly, saving time on repetitive tasks.
✅ Automated function creation for merging API data, reducing debugging efforts.
✅ Suggested best practices for caching, pagination, and API calls
✅ Accelerated debugging by instantly analyzing and explaining errors.

Performance Comparison

Here is the table where we compared the results of both developers:

Metric	Traditional Development (Illia)	AI-Assisted (Alex)	Performance Increase
Total Time Spent	5 hours	2 hours 20 min	2.15× Faster
API Hook Creation	40 min	10 min	4× Faster
Debugging & Error Fixing	1.5 hours	30 min	3× Faster
Data Processing & Merging	1 hour	20 min	3× Faster

AI Frontend Development Key Takeaways

Here, we have summarized and figured out how developers can use AI in frontend development and improve their efficiency.

AI Supercharges Development Speed

AI tools for frontend development like Cursor significantly reduce repetitive coding time and make developers more efficient.

Debugging Becomes Faster & Smarter

AI for frontend developement identifies and explains errors instantly, cutting down time spent troubleshooting.

While AI excels at logic-based tasks, manual adjustments are still needed for pixel-perfect UI.

Best for Tasks Involving API Calls & Data Processing

AI in frontend development is most effective when handling API integration, data fetching, and caching.

Recommendations for Engineering Teams on How To Use AI in Frontend Development

Use AI tools for frontend development like Cursor for API integration, data processing, and debugging.
Use AI in frontend development to automate repetitive coding tasks and accelerate growth.
Keep UI development manual for fine-tuned design precision.
Continuously review AI-generated code to keep quality and maintainability.

With the right balance, AI frontend development can elevate engineering teams to new productivity levels, giving them more time to focus on innovation and creativity rather than repetitive coding tasks.

Some of the best AI tools for frontend development include:

Cursor AI – Automates API calls, debugging, and function structuring.
GitHub Copilot – Suggests code snippets and speeds up development.
Codeium – A free AI coding assistant with intelligent completions.
Tabnine – AI-powered code autocompletion for frontend frameworks.

Conclusion

This experiment highlights the immense potential of AI frontend development. By integrating AI into development workflows, teams can cut down development time by over 50% and maintain high-quality results.

Will frontend development be replaced by AI? No! Developers still need to guide, refine, and validate AI-generated code.

💡 Contact us and let’s talk about how we can help you release your product faster and more efficiently using AI frontend development.

FAQ

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Vasylenko

CEO at The Frontend Company, Founder of Digital Business Card

Alex Vasylenko is the founder of The Frontend Company, DBC and several other successful startups. A dynamic tech entrepreneur, he began his career as a frontend developer at Deloitte and Scandinavia's largest banking company. In 2023, Alex was honored as one of 'Top 10 Emerging Entrepreneurs' by USA Today.

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