Have you ever tried building a product by yourself? I am talking about those side projects we all imagine. Like your five to nine after your nine to five. It could be a small app, a game, a tool to fix that one annoying problem in your life, or maybe something you want to show off to friends or coworkers.
A few years ago, before AI was everywhere, this was tough. Building even a small project took weeks or months. You had to research, design, write specs, code every piece by hand, track down assets, and then figure out how to deploy it. Most projects never made it past the "idea in my notebook" stage.
Now things are different. With AI, I can turn ideas into actual products in days. Sometimes even hours. Large projects still take time, but the difference is that AI handles so much of the heavy lifting. It fills gaps, automates the boring work, and lets me spend energy on the parts I enjoy.
I have been hooked on this way of working. To me, AI is not here to replace creativity but to boost it. It makes me faster, more experimental, and a lot more productive. In this article, I want to share how I use AI across the whole product building process, from the spark of an idea to the moment I hit deploy.
Step One: Documentation Without the Pain
Every product starts with an idea. At first it feels exciting, but that excitement fades fast when you realize you need documents. You need research notes, requirement documents, specifications, flowcharts, and other formal things that make an idea feel "real."
This was the stage where my side projects used to die. But now, I just give AI my messy notes and ask it to expand them. It suggests pros and cons, gives me a starting PRD, and even drafts technical specs if I want them. I can ask it to refine sections, or to write in a professional style if I plan to share with colleagues.
What used to take days now takes minutes. I do not fight with formatting or pretend I enjoy writing technical documentation. I just get something workable and move forward.
Step Two: Design Without Needing a Design Degree
Design used to be another roadblock. User interfaces, layouts, themes, logos, and icons can feel overwhelming if you are not a designer.
AI makes this painless. I ask for layout suggestions, color palettes, or even full mockups. If I need a logo, I can generate dozens in seconds. If I want icons or images, I do not waste time browsing expensive stock sites. AI gives me usable assets that I can tweak to match my vision.
The output is not perfect, but it is good enough to get going. What once took me a whole evening now fits neatly into a coffee break.
Step Three: Coding With AI as a Partner
This is my favorite part. Coding used to mean long hours writing boilerplate, debugging endlessly, and slowly building a structure from scratch.
Now, with tools like Cursor, Codex, Claude, or Gemini, I can feed AI my documentation and design, then let it scaffold the project. It writes the skeleton code, sets up the structure, and even handles some tricky logic. I step in when things need polishing, but a lot of the grunt work is already handled.
It is not flawless. Sometimes the CSS looks awkward. Sometimes features break. But debugging is easier too. I paste the error, AI gives me fixes, and I try again. I still get my hands dirty now and then, but it feels like I am supervising rather than grinding through endless tasks.
For side projects, I do not stress much about security. I know enterprise systems need expert reviews, but when I am building for myself, the goal is learning and experimenting. AI helps me get there quickly.
Why Side Projects Matter
The real joy is that side projects belong to me. I do not have to explain decisions to executives or stakeholders. I do not have to worry about user complaints or deadlines. I get to be the boss, the designer, the engineer, and the marketer all at once.
That freedom makes it fun. And sometimes, side projects turn into more. I once built a small AI-powered game just for fun. When I showed it to my manager, he liked it so much that we started working on it as part of our company roadmap. That is the kind of unexpected outcome that makes this process exciting.
Building to Solve My Own Problems
Not all my projects are glamorous. Many are small tools or apps that save me time or replace something I would otherwise pay for.
Why pay for a to-do app when I can build one myself in a weekend? Why rely on someone else's tool when I can create exactly what I need? And since hosting can be free, I barely spend anything. The only tool I paid for is Cursor, an AI-powered IDE, and it has been worth every cent. Even so, plenty of free tools exist if you are just starting out.
The Bigger Picture
There is a lot of debate about AI replacing jobs. My view is different. AI will not replace people. It will replace people who do not use it. If you stick to old workflows while others are using AI to move five times faster, that is when you fall behind.
For me, AI is not about becoming the best designer, coder, or marketer. It is about being versatile. AI lets me dabble in all of these roles and still create something impressive.
That is why I encourage everyone to try building something with AI. Start small. Let AI help you write the docs, design the interface, scaffold the code, and deploy it. You will learn faster than you think, and you will see how powerful this technology really is.
Closing Thoughts
This is what building with AI looks like for me. I take an idea, use AI for documentation, design, coding, debugging, and deployment, and end up with a working product in a fraction of the time it used to take. Along the way, I have built games, apps, and tools. Some stay as personal experiments. Others grow into something bigger.
What matters most is the fun. Side projects feel creative again. They are experiments, not chores. And AI makes that possible.
We are still in the early days of this AI culture, but I believe it will become part of every field. If you want to keep up, start building. Use AI. Learn by doing. Your next side project might be the one that changes everything.