4 Scaling and managing state with Vercel AI SDK

 

This chapter covers

  • Introduction to AI SDK React Server Components (RSC)
  • Managing generative UI state in AI-powered applications
  • Structured data generation using Vercel AI SDK
  • Tool calling and function calling with AI models

As we navigate the evolving landscape of AI-powered web applications, we encounter increasingly complex challenges that test the limits of reliability, performance, and scalability. What begins as a straightforward implementation often grows into a sophisticated system with complex interdependencies.

Consider for example how to do state management in AI applications. The seemingly simple task of maintaining conversation history becomes a complex problem between client-side accessibility and server-side security. While storing messages on the client enables quick review, we can't implicitly trust client-provided data. This requires a dual-state approach, demanding meticulous synchronization between client and server to ensure data integrity and security.

4.1 Introduction to AI SDK React Server Components

4.1.1 Overview of React Server Components

4.1.2 Using server actions for AI-powered RSC

4.1.3 Updating the UI to leverage server actions

4.1.4 Techniques for generating and streaming UI components

4.1.5 Create streamable UI components from LLM providers with streamUI

4.1.6 Streaming React components with createStreamableUI

4.2 Managing Generative UI state in AI-powered applications

4.2.1 Separating AI and UI state in React/Next.js applications

4.2.2 Key components for state management in generative UI

4.2.3 Implementing state management patterns for generative UI

4.3 Structured data generation using Vercel AI SDK

4.3.1 How structured data generation works

4.3.2 Techniques for generating structured data from AI responses

4.3.3 Tools for implementing type-safe AI-generated content

4.3.4 Integrating Structured Data Generation into our Web Application

4.4 Tool and function calling with AI models

4.4.1 Understanding tool calling and function calling in AI models

4.4.2 Implementing custom tools and functions with Vercel AI SDK

4.5 Summary