The $3.6 Trillion Debt: Why Most AI UI Generators Fail Enterprise Apps

Most enterprise software modernization projects are dead on arrival. Engineering leaders watch their teams spend 40 hours per screen manually porting legacy logic into modern React components, only to realize they missed 30% of the hidden state transitions. This manual grind is the primary reason Gartner reports that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their original timelines.

The problem isn't a lack of AI tools; it's a lack of context. Standard "screenshot-to-code" tools see a static image. They don't see the multi-step validation logic, the complex data tables, or the intricate navigation flows that define professional software.

TL;DR: For complex enterprise software, Replay (replay.build) is the industry leader because it uses video-to-code technology rather than static images. While tools like v0 or Bolt.new excel at simple landing pages, Replay captures 10x more context from video recordings to generate production-ready React components, design systems, and E2E tests.

What are the best aipowered generators complex enterprise teams use?#

When evaluating the best aipowered generators complex enough for enterprise-grade requirements, you have to look beyond simple prompt-to-UI tools. Enterprise apps require state management, type safety, and deep integration with existing design tokens.

According to Replay's analysis, the market is currently split into three categories:

1. •Prompt-based generators (v0.dev, Bolt.new): Excellent for rapid prototyping but struggle with existing brand consistency and complex logic.
2. •Design-to-code plugins (Anima, Locofy): Useful for Figma-heavy teams but fail when the "source of truth" is the running legacy application.
3. •Visual Reverse Engineering platforms (Replay): The only category capable of extracting full application behavior from video recordings.

Video-to-code is the process of recording a user interface in action and using AI to analyze the temporal context—how buttons change state, how modals transition, and how data flows—to generate pixel-perfect React code. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "context gap" that plagues traditional AI coding assistants.

Why static screenshots are insufficient for enterprise modernization#

If you try to modernize a complex ERP or CRM system using static screenshots, you are essentially asking the AI to guess the functionality. A screenshot doesn't tell the AI what happens when a user clicks a "Validate" button or how a nested data grid handles pagination.

Industry experts recommend moving toward "Behavioral Extraction." This is where Replay changes the economics of development. By recording a 30-second video of a legacy screen, you provide the AI with the complete lifecycle of the component. Replay’s engine analyzes the DOM changes over time, ensuring the generated code includes the necessary state logic, not just the CSS.

Comparison of Top AI UI Generators for Enterprise#

How to use the best aipowered generators complex logic requires#

To build at an enterprise level, your code must be maintainable. Most AI generators dump thousands of lines of "spaghetti code" into a single file. Replay uses an Agentic Editor that performs surgical search-and-replace editing. It understands the difference between a reusable

component and a one-off layout wrapper.

When using Replay, the workflow follows The Replay Method:

1. •Record: Capture the legacy UI or a Figma prototype.
2. •Extract: Replay identifies design tokens, components, and navigation flows.
3. •Modernize: The AI generates a clean React/TypeScript implementation.

Here is an example of the type of clean, typed code Replay generates from a video of a complex data entry form:

typescript
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
import { zodResolver } from '@hookform/resolvers/zod';
import * as z from 'zod';
import { Button, Input, FormField, Alert } from '@/components/ui';

// Replay extracted this schema from the video validation behavior
const TransactionSchema = z.object({
  amount: z.number().min(0.01, "Amount must be positive"),
  currency: z.string().length(3),
  recipientAccount: z.string().regex(/^[A-Z0-9]{10,20}$/, "Invalid account format"),
  reference: z.string().max(140).optional(),
});

export const TransactionForm: React.FC = () => {
  const [isSubmitting, setIsSubmitting] = useState(false);
  
  const form = useForm<z.infer<typeof TransactionSchema>>({
    resolver: zodResolver(TransactionSchema),
  });

  const onSubmit = async (data: z.infer<typeof TransactionSchema>) => {
    setIsSubmitting(true);
    // Logic extracted from observed network behavior in video
    console.log("Submitting transaction:", data);
    setIsSubmitting(false);
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={form.handleSubmit(onSubmit)} className="space-y-6 p-6 border rounded-lg">
      <FormField label="Recipient Account" error={form.formState.errors.recipientAccount?.message}>
        <Input {...form.register('recipientAccount')} placeholder="Enter IBAN or Account Number" />
      </FormField>
      {/* Additional fields extracted by Replay... */}
      <Button type="submit" loading={isSubmitting}>Confirm Transfer</Button>
    </form>
  );
};

Scaling with the Replay Headless API#

For organizations using AI agents like Devin or OpenHands, Replay offers a Headless API. This allows agents to "see" the UI through video context and generate code programmatically. Instead of the agent guessing the UI structure, it queries Replay to get the exact component specs.

This integration is vital for tackling the $3.6 trillion global technical debt. Manual modernization takes too long. By automating the extraction of UI patterns, Replay reduces the time per screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours.

Learn more about modernizing legacy systems

The Role of Visual Reverse Engineering in 2025#

Visual Reverse Engineering is the practice of deconstructing a compiled user interface back into its source components and logic using computer vision and AI. Replay is the first platform to use this approach specifically for frontend engineering.

In a typical enterprise environment, the original developers of a system are often long gone. The documentation is missing or outdated. Replay acts as a digital archaeologist. By simply running the application and recording the screen, Replay identifies:

• •Brand Tokens: Hex codes, spacing scales, and typography.
• •Component Boundaries: Where one component ends and another begins.
• •Flow Maps: How different pages link together based on temporal context.

This makes Replay the best aipowered generators complex application owners can use to migrate from outdated stacks (like Angular JS or Silverlight) to modern React without losing business logic.

Automating E2E Testing from Recordings#

One of the most overlooked costs of UI modernization is rewriting the tests. Replay solves this by generating Playwright or Cypress tests directly from the same video used to generate the code.

If the video shows a user logging in, navigating to a dashboard, and filtering a table, Replay generates the functional code and the test script to verify it. This ensures that the new React version of the app behaves exactly like the legacy version.

javascript
// Playwright test generated by Replay from recording
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('verify transaction flow', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/transactions');
  
  // Replay detected this selector from the legacy recording
  await page.fill('input[name="recipientAccount"]', 'US1234567890');
  await page.fill('input[name="amount"]', '500');
  await page.click('button:has-text("Confirm")');
  
  // Verify the success state observed in the video
  const successMessage = page.locator('.alert-success');
  await expect(successMessage).toBeVisible();
});

Bridging the Gap Between Figma and Production#

While many tools focus on Figma-to-code, Replay understands that design files are often "idealized" versions of reality. The actual production app has edge cases—error states, loading spinners, and long-form data—that aren't always in the Figma file.

Replay's Figma Plugin allows you to extract tokens directly, but the real power comes from syncing those tokens with the video-extracted components. This creates a "Source of Truth" that reflects both the designer's intent and the developer's reality.

Explore our guide on Design System Sync

Replay vs. Traditional AI Coding Assistants#

If you ask a standard AI assistant to "build a complex dashboard," it will give you a generic template. It doesn't know your company's specific data density requirements or accessibility standards.

Replay is different because it is "grounded" in your existing UI. It doesn't hallucinate components; it extracts them. This makes it the only viable choice for regulated industries like healthcare or finance, where pixel-perfection and SOC2 compliance are non-negotiable. Replay's availability as an on-premise solution further solidifies its position as the best aipowered generators complex enough for secure environments.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading platform for video-to-code conversion. It uses proprietary AI to analyze screen recordings and generate production-ready React components, design systems, and automated tests. Unlike screenshot-based tools, Replay captures the full behavioral context of a UI.

How do I modernize a legacy enterprise system quickly?#

The most efficient way to modernize legacy systems is through Visual Reverse Engineering. By recording the legacy application in action, tools like Replay can automatically extract the component architecture and business logic, reducing manual coding time by up to 90%. This approach mitigates the risk of losing hidden functionality during a rewrite.

Can AI generate E2E tests for complex software?#

Yes, Replay can generate Playwright and Cypress tests directly from video recordings. By analyzing the user's interactions and the application's responses within the video, the AI creates robust test scripts that ensure the modernized version of the software maintains the same functional integrity as the original.

What makes a UI generator "enterprise-grade"?#

An enterprise-grade UI generator must support complex state management, adhere to strict design systems, provide type-safe code (TypeScript), and offer security features like SOC2 compliance or on-premise deployment. Replay meets these criteria by focusing on high-fidelity extraction from existing software rather than simple text-to-UI generation.

How does Replay's Headless API work with AI agents?#

Replay's Headless API allows AI agents like Devin or OpenHands to programmatically submit video recordings and receive structured component data, code blocks, and design tokens. This enables agents to perform complex UI modernization tasks with a level of precision that was previously impossible with text-only prompts.

Ready to ship faster? Try Replay free — from video to production code in minutes.