Your Chatbot Wants to Be WeChat Now, But With Fewer QR Codes

This article explores Generative UI — interfaces dynamically generated by AI based on user intent rather than deterministic entry points. It traces the concept from WeChat's Mini Programs (serving ~1B users since 2017) to today's intent-based AI chatbot paradigm, and breaks GenUI into three categories: Static/Controlled (map AI output to existing components), Declarative (JSON schemas rendered via SDKs), and Open-ended (arbitrary HTML/CSS/JS in sandboxed iframes). The piece argues GenUI will gradually replace walls of text with ephemeral, intent-adaptive UI elements across first-party and third-party integrations.