Mona Truong

What have you been able to build with AI as a non-technical person?

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Before AI, I always thought I would NEVER learn how to code. I genuinely admired technical people, watching them code felt like watching magic. I remember wishing that maybe one day, I could do something like that too.

I’ve never had any formal education in programming, and I had zero experience building apps. But with AI, I was able to start from just an idea and slowly figure things out on my own experimenting, setting things up, and eventually creating my first interface that I could actually interact with.

It honestly felt magical. It made me realize how fast the world is changing. Coding is no longer something completely out of reach. AI is making it possible for people like me to turn ideas in our heads into real, tangible drafts for the first time.

Of course, I also realize that AI coding still needs human guidance. There are errors, edge cases, and deeper problems that require real understanding. If you want to go further and build something serious, learning the technical fundamentals is still important so you don’t become fully dependent on AI.

But even so, this shift feels incredibly empowering.

Has anyone else here experimented with AI and built something you never thought you could before?

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Priyanka Gosai

I built my own personal finance tracking system using AI.

I’m a software engineer by background, but I haven’t actively coded in years since my roles shifted more toward product. Before this, I was using ChatGPT to help analyze expenses and financial data, but I was never fully comfortable uploading sensitive statements into a public tool.

So I used AI to help me build a small, personalized system that runs locally and is tailored exactly to how I think about money. It’s faster for my use case and more accurate because it’s structured around my own categories and rules.

Mona Truong

@priyanka_gosai1 It's cool! And the system you built yourself also ensures the security of your own data, right?

Priyanka Gosai

@monatruong_murror yes. its hosted locally

Aima Atigari
Yes! 100% I use AI to build mini apps that tell improve my productivity.
Mona Truong

@aima So cool! Can you share more about your app?

Nika
  • What AI tool did you use for generating a mobile app?

  • How long did it take you?

  • Do you also understand the code that was written?

Mona Truong

@busmark_w_nika 

  1. I use ChatGPT to brainstorm about the idea, then I used Claude to build based on that idea

  2. It took me 1-2 days to get the first draft

  3. I don’t understand everything 100%, but bcuz I’m still learning Python, it also helps me fix small issues when needed.

Tereza Hurtová
I relate to this a lot. I’m a marketer with zero formal programming background, and I currently build prototypes in Claude Code. A year ago, I wouldn’t have even imagined that being possible. I’m lucky to work with a very technical team, so I’m not shipping anything blindly –they sanity-check things, think about security, edge cases, architecture. And honestly, everyone should be. It’s similar to understanding the difference between facts and misinformation –you don’t need to be an expert, but you need critical thinking. But for prototyping ideas and turning abstract product thoughts into something tangible? It’s incredible. It shortens the distance between “I have an idea” and “here’s a working draft” dramatically. It doesn’t replace engineers. It just makes me a much better collaborator.
Russell

All my life I was a tradesman, but lately I was so exhausted by the paper and invoice routine so I've built Sleepless Tradesman. That was something I never thought I could before.