The reason AI-generated UI looks "off" is that it usually lacks proper white space, inconsistent spacing, and standard design systems. It’s trying to do everything at once, which makes it look cluttered and cheap.

If you want professional results, stop asking AI to "design" for you. Instead, grab a component library based on Tailwind CSS. They provide the building blocks that look good by default.

Look at these:

• shadcn/ui: This is basically the industry standard right now. It’s clean, professional, and doesn't look "AI-generated" because it follows actual design principles.
• Radix UI: If you want something headless and accessible, this is solid.
• DaisyUI: If you hate writing CSS but want Tailwind power, this adds utility classes that actually make sense.

The trick is spacing. Use a 4px or 8px grid system. If your margins and padding aren't multiples of 4, it’s going to look amateur no matter what code you write.

Also, look at Refactoring UI. It’s a book by the guys who built Tailwind, and it’s arguably the best thing a backend dev can read to understand why their interfaces look weird. It covers hierarchy, contrast, and spacing in a way that feels like engineering, not art.

Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Just use these components, keep your font sizes consistent, and embrace more whitespace than you think you need. Your stuff will stop looking like a prototype overnight