AI-assisted development: Principles for building in the age of AI
You’re a builder (or you want to be). You see things that should exist, and you want to make them real - an app, an idea, a tool that you can turn into a business.
AI has now made building faster, but also messier. It’s easy to generate code and prototypes, but without clarity, most ideas can't become real products.
The bottleneck is no longer code, it’s how you think about what you’re building. Building successful products now relies on:
The ability to decide what should exist, and;
The ability to direct resources, both technical and non-technical, towards effectively creating it.
You’ve probably tried AI tools to build a prototype - ranging from Claude Code, to “vibe-coding” with Lovable. You’ve seen what these agents can do, and you’ve become more ambitious with what you want to achieve. In fact, you’re probably thinking of your next big thing.
Before you jump into randomly prompting Claude or Lovable, you need to get your foundation right. What exactly are you trying to make exist? How can you use AI to extend your ability to effectively build it? How should you think about your role as a builder in the age of AI?
This session will answer these questions by giving you the framework for using AI to augment your ability to build useful products.
We'll cover:
What a builder is, and what that role looks like at a startup and on personal projects
Case studies in how building has evolved over the past few years, using products I’ve built
A spec-driven development workflow you can use to effectively turn ideas into products
Patterns for interacting and building with AI, and the skills that matter in this paradigm
Understanding the different types of products you can build; frameworks for choosing the right quest for your skillset
Whether you’re a beginner, creative, or aspiring builder, this session is for you if you have a desire to create.
📅 Thursday, May 14th, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM (WAT)
📍 Register to attend
We look forward to having you! 🚀