Build tools using AI
I like the idea of building small, custom tools for my individual purpose (initially at least) using AI as an enabler. I know a little frontend code - CSS/SCSS, HTML, Javascript - but using AI means I can build things that I can dream up but couldn't easily build myself.
I prefer this mindset over using AI to build the complete project, as it's reusable and creates a deterministic tool that can then produce predictable results. It's a high agency approach.
"Home-cooked" software
Home-cooked apps or software is:
- simple
- Cheap or free to run
- Made for a particular specific context
- Private and safe
- Made with love and care
- Probably not going to make millions of dollars or be motivated by that idea
This is in contrast to professional software which is built for a larger user base, complex, is made by professional teams, and probably not specific to your needs. This is related to The long-tail problem and Design for emergence.
LLMs for non-developers can help support Barefoot developers to be able to create home-cooked software without learning how to code.
References
Home-Cooked Software and Barefoot Developers
It’s hard to argue it wouldn’t be overwhelmingly net good for more people to be capable of designing and building their own software to solve problems for their local communities.
You can just build your own design tools now - YouTube
Ryan Miyoshi, Head of Design at Column how he vibe codes tools to create unique images using Cursor. When he comes across something that's difficult or annoying to do (e.g. creating a mosaic effect over a given image), he creates a tool for it with some UI for changing different values to change the effect. So instead of using AI to produce an image, he used it to create the tool which then uses to create the image, which is easier to manage with sliders rather than via a chat interface.
Coding the Vibes. Using AI to build fun design tools. - YouTube
Similar video to the above, Anton Reponnen uses LLMs to create simple image manipulation tools specific to his needs. Also just a very well produced video.