"AI is the future of software development."
I made that case in my previous article: "How I Built a Complete Project Dashboard in Hours with AI: A New Paradigm for Developers".
But like any powerful tool, AI comes with important limitations — and understanding them is key to using it effectively.
In this post, I’ll share a real-world experience from my Blueprint project — and why it proved to me that AI alone is no magic bullet.
🎯 The Real-World Case: My Blueprint Project
I was building Blueprint:
✅ A technical blog
✅ A dynamic portfolio
✅ A public devlog
✅ A personal learning lab and showcase
My initial stack was:
- React + Vite + TSX
- Tailwind CSS
- Rust backend (Axum)
The goal was to have full visual control — with a cyberpunk-inspired design, custom animations, unique layout.
🚩 The Challenge: Trying to Migrate to Next.js with AI
After my project was looking great and working well, I decided to experiment:
👉 Migrate to Next.js (App Router + TS)
👉 Use AI tools (Cursor / Augment) to assist the conversion
👉 Use the SAME .md architecture file and SAME tailwind.config.js
The goal: see if the AI could faithfully recreate the original visual design.
❌ What Actually Happened
Even with the same .md and tailwind.config.js, the result was:
- Different grid structure
- Inconsistent paddings
- Broken or missing animations
- Overall style diverged from the original
In short: the visual model was NOT replicated.
🧠 Why This Happens
Current AI tools for development:
✅ Are excellent at generating deterministic code (JS, TS, Rust, etc)
❌ But the "visual model" they construct is non-deterministic.
In other words:
- When you progressively build a project with AI, it creates an internal visual model over time.
- If you later change context (different stack, new generation pass), that visual model is not preserved.
- Even with the same
.md, the AI will reinterpret the visual style.
🚩 Why It Gets Worse with Next.js
In the specific case of Next.js (App Router):
- The AI will automatically try to adapt for:
- CSS Modules
- Scoped styles
- SSR-friendly layouts
This diverges from the original visual model built in React + Vite.
The result: the final look and feel doesn’t match the original.
🎯 What I Learned
👉 AI is not magic.
👉 Stack selection is still a HUMAN decision.
👉 If you’ve already crafted a strong, cohesive visual design — don’t expect an AI-driven migration to preserve it.
👉 If you do need to migrate, create a “design freeze” (Figma, specs) first.
🏆 My Stack Decision (Post-Learning)
After this experience, here’s my updated stack:
| Layer | Selected Stack | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | React + Vite + TSX | Full control of styles, visual fidelity |
| Backend API | Rust + Axum | Extreme performance, safe compilation |
| Future Landing Pages | Next.js + TS | SEO-friendly static pages |
🚧 Features I’m Deferring (for MVP focus)
Another takeaway: prioritizing the roadmap clearly.
Example: internationalization (i18n) — I’m leaving this for a later phase.
Why?
👉 Because trying to do everything at once (even with AI help) can introduce unnecessary complexity and visual bugs.
👉 Better to stabilize core visuals and architecture first.
🤖 So… is AI useless?
Quite the opposite.
👉 AI is an incredible ally.
👉 It accelerates development.
👉 It helps with automation, code generation, even architecture decisions.
👉 But it’s not magic.
👉 And it doesn’t replace the vision of a skilled software architect.
🚀 Key Takeaway
If you’re using AI in your development workflow (and you should!), remember:
✅ AI accelerates.
✅ AI assists.
✅ AI automates.
❌ But stack decisions, architecture, and visual direction — are still on us.
🧠 For Further Reading
If you’d like to understand why I still believe AI is the future of development, check out my previous article:
👉 "How I Built a Complete Project Dashboard in Hours with AI: A New Paradigm for Developers"
💬 What About You?
Have you encountered a similar situation?
Tried migrating a project with AI, and the visual output didn’t match?
Or do you have other tips for using AI consciously in your dev workflow?
Drop a comment — I’d love to exchange ideas! 🚀
🙌 About the Author
I’m a developer passionate about technology, AI, and software architecture.
Currently building Blueprint — my personal dev lab + technical portfolio + digital manifesto.
If you enjoyed this post, follow me here on Dev.to — and also check out my GitHub. 🚀
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