Building Amy AI: How I built an immersive AI companion frontend
A deep dive into architecting a privacy-first AI companion's frontend — from GSAP-powered 3D depth effects to streaming-ready chat interfaces.
When I started working on Amy AI, the brief was deceptively simple: build a frontend for a privacy-first AI companion. But "companion" implies something far beyond a typical chatbot interface.
The backend team had already built a solid FastAPI-powered service. My job was to translate that into an experience that felt alive — narrative-driven, immersive, and deeply personal.
The Architecture
I chose React with a component-first architecture. Every piece of the UI was designed as an independent, testable module.
Performance Matters
With heavy animations, performance was non-negotiable. I used GSAP's will-change management, Intersection Observer, and strategic memoization to maintain 60fps across all devices.
Key Takeaway
The biggest lesson from Amy AI was that immersive doesn't mean heavy. A well-structured animation system can feel magical while maintaining performance.