Guide on How to Build Your First Dapp Using AI

In this guide we will look at how you can use AI to build your own decentralized application, or dapp. These apps on the blockchain offer a paradigm shift from centralized systems to trustless, transparent and user-controlled platforms. The rise of AI helps developers to accelerate the development process, and we will take a look at how to use AI to develop your own dapp on an EVM-compatible blockchain. 

Building decentralized applications has been a struggle for many, because smart contracts are complex. Writing secure and bug-free smart contracts is a challenge on its own. Moreover, the blockchain industry itself has its own challenges, including scalability issues, user interface limitations, and so on. The immutable nature of blockchain means that deployed code cannot be easily fixed, making security audits critical and very expensive. 

Artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini or xAI’s Grok, already help a wide variety of professionals to increase and accelerate their work efforts. The same goes up for developers. The use of AI can help developers speed up their process, reducing costs in certain areas, while spending more time on security.

How AI can help to speed up development

AI is revolutionizing dapp development by addressing many of the pain points. Below we’ve listed 6 things artificial intelligence can do to help developers to optimize their work flow and speed up development. In general, even team members with little coding experience can use the natural language processing (NLP) of the AI to bridge the gap between ideas and actual implementation. 

1. Code generation – Developers can train models on blockchain frameworks, and then generate boilerplate Solidity code. This reduces manual coding time, and allows for quick iterations. 
2. Smart contract auditing – AI can analyze smart contracts for vulnerabilities, flagging potential bugs or security risks. 
3. Optimization – AI can help to optimize code, but also optimize gas-efficient code patterns. This helps developers to keep operational costs as low as possible for developers and users alike. 
4. Testing – Instead of running dapps on testnet before deployment, AI can help to simulate blockchain transactions, generate test cases, and even predict edge cases. Overall, AI can help to streamline the debugging process. 
5. UI and UX design – AI can design the interface of an app, or at the very least provide a prototype. It allows developers to move much faster during the development process. 
6. Documentation – Do not forget this step. AI can automatically generate comments and documentation for the generated codebase. This makes it easier to maintain and share with other developers. 

By automating repetitive tasks and enhancing decision-making, AI empowers developers to focus on creativity and problem-solving.

The tech stack to develop a decentralized app 

When you want to develop a dapp, you need various building blocks. Below we have listed them. 

• Have a code editor installed, such as Visual Studio Code
• Hardhat works as a powerful development environment for those building on EVM networks. Here developers write, test and deploy smart contracts.
• Make sure Node.js and Node Package Manager (NPM) are installed 
• Have a wallet installed, such as MetaMask, to interact with EVM-compatible chains
• Get some funds for a testnet, such as Ethereum Sepolia or Polygon Mumbai. You can get this from a faucet. 
• Fuzzing is a security analysis tool for EVM smart contracts, and the spiritual successor to MythX
• Use web3.js or ethers.js to connect your front-end to the blockchain 

However, for the sake of this guide, it’s important to know which AI tools you can use. First of all, this depends a bit on the type of software you want to develop. Some AI tools are better suited for games, while others may work better for general purposes.

Try out these AI tools to develop apps

1. ChatGPT –  Can you help you write code or check for vulnerabilities. 
2. Grok – Best known for its integration with X, but Grok can also help with coding.
3. Github’s Copilot – This tool adjusts to your own coding patterns, and connects with Visual Studio Code.
4. Cursor – A popular AI tool to develop games and apps with the help of AI, popularized by the vibe coding hype on X.  
5. Gemini Code Assist – Supports a wide variety of languages, and Gemini 2.0 has been optimized to support app development. 
6. Windsurf – formerly known as Codeium. A development tool with AI integrated, taking over your tasks and thinking ahead as well. 

How to make your first dapp in 6 easy steps

Step 1: Define what you want to make

• Determine what the end result needs to be. Start simple. For example, create an on-chain voting system where users can cast votes, and results get stored on-chain. 
• Features would include: register votes, cast votes, tally the results

Step 2: Set up your work environment

• Install Hardhat: npm install –save-dev hardhat
• Initialize a project: npx hardhat init (choose JavaScript project).
• Install ethers.js: npm install ethers

Step 3: Write the Smart Contract

• Create a file contracts/Voting.sol:
• Use an AI to optimize the code and optimize gas usage

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract Voting {
    mapping(address => bool) public voters;
    mapping(string => uint256) public votesReceived;
    string[] public candidateList;

    constructor(string[] memory candidateNames) {
        candidateList = candidateNames;
    }

    function vote(string memory candidate) public {
        require(!voters[msg.sender], "Already voted.");
        require(validCandidate(candidate), "Invalid candidate.");
        voters[msg.sender] = true;
        votesReceived[candidate]++;
    }

    function validCandidate(string memory candidate) view private returns (bool) {
        for (uint i = 0; i < candidateList.length; i++) {
            if (keccak256(abi.encodePacked(candidateList[i])) == keccak256(abi.encodePacked(candidate))) {
                return true;
            }
        }
        return false;
    }

    function getVotes(string memory candidate) public view returns (uint256) {
        return votesReceived[candidate];
    }
}

Step 4: Test the Smart Contract
Create test/Voting.js: (code below)
Run tests: npx hardhat test.

EXAMPLE CODE

const { expect } = require("chai");

describe("Voting", function () {
  it("should allow voting", async function () {
    const Voting = await ethers.getContractFactory("Voting");
    const voting = await Voting.deploy(["Alice", "Bob"]);
    await voting.deployed();

    await voting.vote("Alice");
    expect(await voting.getVotes("Alice")).to.equal(1);
  });
});

Step 5: Deploy to a Testnet

Configure Hardhat (hardhat.config.js):

require("@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox");
module.exports = {
  solidity: "0.8.0",
  networks: {
    mumbai: {
      url: "https://rpc-mumbai.maticvigil.com",
      accounts: ["YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY"]
    }
  }
};

• Deploy: npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js –network mumbai
• Script (scripts/deploy.js):

async function main() {
  const Voting = await ethers.getContractFactory("Voting");
  const voting = await Voting.deploy(["Alice", "Bob"]);
  await voting.deployed();
  console.log("Voting deployed to:", voting.address);
}
main();

Step 6: Build the Frontend

Create a simple HTML/JS frontend (index.html):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
  <h1>Decentralized Voting</h1>
  <button onclick="vote('Alice')">Vote Alice</button>
  <button onclick="vote('Bob')">Vote Bob</button>
  <script src="https://cdn.ethers.io/lib/ethers-5.7.umd.min.js"></script>
  <script>
    const provider = new ethers.providers.Web3Provider(window.ethereum);
    const contractAddress = "DEPLOYED_ADDRESS";
    const abi = [/* ABI from artifacts/contracts/Voting.json */];
    const contract = new ethers.Contract(contractAddress, abi, provider.getSigner());

    async function vote(candidate) {
      await contract.vote(candidate);
      alert(`Voted for ${candidate}`);
    }
  </script>
</body>
</html>

• Replace DEPLOYED_ADDRESS and abi with your contract details.

Step 7: Refine and Deploy

• Use AI tools to audit the contract for security (e.g., MythX).
• Test thoroughly on the testnet, then deploy to the mainnet (e.g., Polygon) by updating the network in hardhat.config.js.

AI is here to help you

Those who know their way around Solidity coding, will not be surprised by the information presented above. But the majority of our readers will probably tap out while reading the code. That’s why these AI assistants are so interesting. 

Simply input a prompt in for example Grok, and you immediately get coding examples, suggestions for additional features, and an overview of the steps you need to take. This is where the collaboration between AI and developers truly shines, because they compliment each other. AI helps to take the pain away, allowing developers to put more effort into the creative part. 

Closing words

Building decentralized apps with AI is an exciting fusion of two transformative technologies. While challenges like security and scalability persist, AI’s ability to automate, optimize, and innovate makes it a powerful ally. Start small, experiment often, and leverage the growing ecosystem of tools and communities. 

If you’re excited about all this, and you’ve deployed your first dapp. Why not join the Ultimate Quest Challenge by listing your project on DappRadar, launching a Quest, and growing your own community in the process.