AI frontend work needs to function when the screen is empty, and that is where I want to start comparing Gemini. A good-looking interface full of content gets attention quickly. Remove the data and you discover whether anyone decided what the user does next.
In May 2026, Google introduced Gemini 3.5 Flash with a focus on agents and programming, available through its tools and API. Antigravity was among the access points. I want to test it on frontend work, comparing models by function.
My next interface test starts with a small request: the same screen with and without content. The empty state needs to explain what is missing and offer a sensible action. When data arrives, the screen should remain coherent. These are two moments in the same task, easy to inspect without relying on excitement about the first image.
Then comes reading the code. I need to understand where to make changes when the request changes. My criterion: the list component and the empty-state component stay separate, and I find where to change the copy in one minute.
I will also record where the comparison happened. Gemini in an API and Gemini inside a tool reach the work through different routes, and access to the project and the available integrations are part of the experience. Without that record, I would end up crediting the model with an advantage that belongs to the application.
I decided to put Gemini into contention for a bounded frontend deliverable. I will count additional guidance and check whether I can keep changing the solution after the first response. If it handles the populated screen and returns the rest of the flow as homework, the task is unfinished.