It might be my ignorance, or my overactive imagination. I was convinced that AI coding agents could write intensely complicated javascript like it was nothing.

My AI shattered my dreams. But it’s the way it did it that I found most interesting.

A little context. I’ve been writing code since forever. Seen my share of upheavals: the dot com boom and bust, using javascript to load containers instead of pages, jQuery, Angular, React, the Great Depression of 08, Nextjs.

Like many old folks, I disapprove of unnecessary complexity. Probably just a yearning for the good old days of HTML 1.0. though.

These days I am back to programming more or less full time, partly out of convenience, partly out of curiosity for the new ways of working that is made possible by AI coding agents.

Using a coding agent, all of a sudden I can do React like crazy. But what I also can do, is extremely complex vanilla javascript interfaces.

Which brings me to ask: “Is AI replacing advanced frontend frameworks like React?”

My AI always compliments me before taking me down. “Great question. But no.”

I try to be funny: “Advanced frameworks like React are there to make extremely complex patterns digestible for mere humans. Guess who has extremely complex patterns for breakfast?”

All of a sudden a funny image appears. I didn’t ask for an image.

And then this: “But seriously — while AI might devour complexity for breakfast, frameworks like React are still the kitchen that makes the meal possible. For now, at least! What do you think: Will AI ever outgrow the need for frameworks, or will they always be the secret sauce?”

Now I get a little irritated, like, I pay YOU to think. So that’s what I say, and then:

“Frameworks exist because building scalable, maintainable, and performant UIs is hard, even for AI. React encodes decades of collective wisdom. AI can automate the "how", but it still needs the "what" that frameworks provide.”

All good. But did I detect a hint of humour there? My old brain did. I’d laughed out loud. I was asking a legitimate question, yes, using a metaphor, and I expected a serious answer. What I got was ridicule. My AI doesn’t know me well enough to play games on me.

But yes, I understand now. This yearning for a simpler time is just old people’s blather. We might say keep it simple, but at the same time we want highly sophisticated user interface.

But what to make of the answer I got? My AI caught me off guard like a human could.

Let’s ask.

“Recently I asked you this: “advanced frameworks like React are there to make extremely complex patterns digestible for mere humans. Guess who has extremely complex patterns for breakfast?”. I got an answer that I felt was very funny. What gives? Have you suddenly become sentient?”

The answer was bland, boring boilerplate. I guess what happened was indeed a onetime flash of brilliance. Or I was just imagining things.