Features
- Unified API across 20+ AI providers
- React hooks for streaming UI (useChat, useCompletion)
- Structured output with Zod schema validation
- Tool calling with automatic execution
Pros
- Switch between AI providers with one line change
- Best React integration for streaming AI responses
- Type-safe structured outputs with schema validation
Cons
- Abstractions may not expose all provider-specific features
- React-focused UI helpers may not fit all frameworks
- Additional dependency layer over provider SDKs
Overview
The Vercel AI SDK is a TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered applications. Its core value proposition is a unified API that works across 20+ AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, and more), allowing you to switch models without rewriting application code.
The SDK consists of three main parts: AI SDK Core for server-side model interaction (text generation, structured output, tool calling), AI SDK UI for React hooks that handle streaming responses (useChat, useCompletion), and AI SDK RSC for React Server Components integration.
Structured output with Zod schema validation is a standout feature: you define a schema, and the SDK ensures the AI model’s response conforms to it, with automatic retries and validation.
When to Use
Choose the Vercel AI SDK when building React/Next.js applications with AI features and you want provider flexibility. It is the best option when you need streaming UI, structured outputs, and the ability to switch between Claude, GPT, and other models.
Getting Started
npm install ai @ai-sdk/anthropicimport { generateText } from 'ai'
import { anthropic } from '@ai-sdk/anthropic'
const { text } = await generateText({
model: anthropic('claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929'),
prompt: 'Explain TypeScript generics'
})