Marlene Ronstedt, the co-founder of Play by Ear, a Web3 and emerging tech consultancy company, shares her journey of using AI to teach herself new skills and build an iOS app from scratch. Ronstedt’s fascination with technology led her to explore coding workshops and self-teach programming languages. However, the debugging process and time spent searching for answers online became frustrating. Fast forward to today, Ronstedt recognizes the incredible potential of AI in teaching new skills and enhancing productivity.
While many have tried to replace themselves with AI for tasks they excel in, Ronstedt believes that AI is not yet on par with human expertise. However, she emphasizes the potential of leveraging AI to learn new skills. Over the last two months, Ronstedt has utilized various AI tools to develop her location-based reminder app, a concept she conceived during a train journey in 2017. Despite her background in tech operations rather than product development, Ronstedt successfully prompted AI to guide her through the app-building process.
Initially, Ronstedt found that AI provided a straightforward route to building a prototype within an hour. However, refining the UI, backend logic, and adding a database required more effort and time. While experts may accomplish the same task in a fraction of the time, Ronstedt was impressed by her ability to prompt AI through the process. She credits AI for providing architectural guidance and implementation support, allowing her to iterate and troubleshoot efficiently.
Working with AI enabled Ronstedt to receive quick solutions to coding challenges, often within 20 to 30 minutes. She jokes about the difficulty of navigating the App Store approval process but acknowledges that AI does not solve the challenge of monetization. Nevertheless, she highlights the accessibility of building apps and experimenting with ideas, thanks to AI’s support. Ronstedt envisions a future where app and product development is more inclusive and diverse, enabling individuals to bring their ideas to life without significant barriers.
Despite the potential limitations of AI in solving complex problems, Ronstedt believes that the technology has democratized app development, making it more accessible to a wider audience. Through her experience of building an iOS app with AI assistance, she emphasizes the importance of patience and persistence in overcoming challenges. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, Ronstedt is optimistic about the creativity and innovation that will emerge from individuals leveraging AI to explore new business opportunities and bring their ideas to fruition.
