Are people creating entirely new work for themselves because AI lowered the barrier to doing it?
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I initially thought of AI as a way to save time on the work I already had. Lately, I am spending some of that saved time doing things I would previously have left alone because I didn't have the skills, budget, or time for them.
For me, that has meant:
Building automation scripts, including one to generate release notes
Creating workflows using tools like Zapier
Putting together working prototypes before building the final version
I am curious if others have experienced the same shift in their choices. Has AI enabled you to start doing something you wouldn't have done before, or even create a new role, project, service, or source of work for yourself?
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Yes, and the shift for me was less about doing existing work faster and more about which ideas even clear the bar to attempt. Before, an idea needed to be good enough to justify months of my own time on top of a full time job. Now the bar is whether it is good enough to justify a few days, so ideas that would have died as a note in my phone actually get built and shipped.
The risk side is real too. Cheaper to start means cheaper to abandon half finished, and I have a few of those sitting unfinished. The ones that stuck were the ones with a real user problem underneath, not just a fun build. AI shortened the distance between idea and working thing, it did not change whether the idea was worth having in the first place. That part still needs the same judgement as before.
@oshylabs This is such a good answer and very relatable too! I see you have launched 2 products here on PH, so it makes your points even stronger.
Yeah, a human in the loop is still needed. I agree.
@ashok_nayak Cheers. Two live, a few more that never got that far. The dead ones were built because I could, not because anyone asked for them. Still catches me out.