Building modern mobile applications has become more exciting with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. In this guide, we will explore how to use React Native AI, a full-stack framework that empowers developers to create cross-platform mobile applications enriched with functionalities such as Large Language Models (LLMs), real-time streaming texts, chat UIs, image services, and much more. Let’s dive in!

Key Features of React Native AI

• Support for popular LLMs including OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Cohere, Gemini, and Mistral.
• An array of image models provided by Fal.ai.
• Real-time streaming responses from all providers.
• OpenAI Assistants, including a code interpreter and retrieval tools.
• Easy theming options with five pre-installed themes.
• Image processing capabilities with ByteScale.

Getting Started

Let’s break down the steps to generate a new project and start building your mobile app.

1. Generate a New Project

To create a new project with React Native AI, run the following command:

npx rn-ai

2. Running the Application

Once you’ve generated the project, navigate into the app directory and run:

npm start

3. Running the Server

To start the server, switch to the server directory and run:

npm run dev

Customizing Themes

React Native AI comes equipped with a variety of themes. To add your own theme:

1. Open apps/src/theme.ts.
2. Add a new theme by extending an existing one or starting from scratch.
3. Example code:

const christmas = {
        ...lightTheme,
        name: "Christmas",
        label: "christmas",
        tintColor: "#ff0000",
        textColor: "#378b29",
        tabBarActiveTintColor: "#378b29",
        tabBarInactiveTintColor: "#ff0000",
        placeholderTextColor: "#378b29",
    };

4. Export your new theme with:

export { lightTheme, darkTheme, christmas };

Configuring LLM Models

This section explains how to add or remove LLM models.

• Update the MODELS array in constants.ts to configure models.
• For each model added, modify src/screens/chat.tsx accordingly by creating local state and functions to handle new model types.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some troubleshooting ideas you might consider if you encounter issues:

• Make sure all environment variables are correctly set and configured.
• Check network connectivity, particularly if you’re relying on real-time streaming responses.
• If there’s a problem with models not appearing, ensure that you have successfully updated the required arrays in constants.ts.
• When applying themes, double-check that you’ve exported everything correctly to see the changes.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Wrapping Up

React Native AI provides a robust framework for building intelligent mobile applications. By following this guide, you should have a solid starting point. At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

Explore Further

To see the framework in action, check out the video tutorial here.