How to Build Hyperspecific AI Apps Instead of Subscriptions

TL;DR

Build hyperspecific AI apps by choosing a recurring workflow, mapping its current process, identifying where custom software fits, and using AI-assisted coding to create it. The speaker’s first versions take 2 to 3 hours up to a day and average $10 to $20 to build, compared with commercial software costing around $15 to $30 per month. Read on for use cases, tradeoffs, and a practical framework.

Transcript

Stop before you pay for another subscription. This is my favorite AI workflow right now. It is so powerful and you don't even need to know how to code, although it does help and it is essentially free or at least much much cheaper than paying for most software subscriptions. Let me explain by just showing you guys first some use cases and then I wi... Read More

Key Insights

• A hyperspecific app is defined as software built using AI-assisted coding for very specific personal or business use cases that would never exist as commercial software. The category has no established name, so the speaker coined the term for this workflow.
• The cost gap is the core argument: these apps cost around $10 to $20 to build on average, while commercial software in the same space usually costs around $15 to $30 per month. Depending on hosting, the app can be run repeatedly without incurring additional costs.
• Custom accounting was the first use case because cross-border work, hiring people from all over the world and serving clients from all over the world, creates a setup that commercial accounting software does not fit. The custom app handles country-specific regulations, multiple currencies, bookkeeping, and forms.
• Using open source AI models hosted locally means documents, receipts, and invoices are not leaked to the internet, and there is no per-document cost no matter how many are fed through the system. Full control over your own software removes questions about where data is being sent.
• Coding skill is not required to start, but there is a ceiling to what you can build without it. Knowing how to code would also save more money overall, so the speaker still recommends learning it for anyone interested rather than treating no-code as the endpoint.
• The main cost is time: first versions take about 2 to 3 hours up to a day to build for the speaker, and someone with zero engineering background and no coding skills might need a few days to a week to get started properly. A learning curve exists at the beginning.
• Step one, choosing what to build, uses three categories: tasks that are the bane of your existence but must be done such as accounting, tasks procrastinated on despite being beneficial such as tracking exercise, food, and sleep, and things you want to do but lack the skill, time, or resources for.
• Mapping the existing workflow takes time proportional to how well you already understand the process. Bookkeeping was mapped instantly after five years of doing it, while mapping manga creation required taking an entire course from a professional to learn the nine steps involved.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you build a hyperspecific AI app instead of paying for another subscription?

Start by identifying a workflow, mapping the existing process, and determining where a custom app fits within it. The broader framework has five steps, and the first three ensure that you understand the problem before building with AI-assisted coding.

Q: What is a hyperspecific AI app?

A hyperspecific app is software created with AI-assisted coding for a very specific personal or business use case that commercial software would not serve. The speaker coined the term because there was no established name for this workflow.

Q: How much does it cost to build a hyperspecific AI app?

The speaker’s apps cost around $10 to $20 to build on average. Commercial software in the accounting example usually costs around $15 to $30 per month, while a custom app may be run repeatedly without additional costs depending on its hosting.

Q: How long does it take to build the first version?

The speaker typically needs about 2 to 3 hours up to a day to build a first version. A person with no engineering background or coding skills might need a few days to a week to get started properly because there is an initial learning curve.

Q: Do you need coding skills to build a hyperspecific app?

You do not need to write code yourself when starting because AI-assisted coding can handle the implementation. However, the speaker says there is a ceiling to what you can build without coding knowledge and recommends learning to code if you are interested.

Q: How do you choose a workflow for a custom AI app?

Look for tasks in three categories: unavoidable work you dislike, beneficial work you keep procrastinating on, and projects you lack the skill, time, resources, or energy to complete. Examples include accounting, tracking exercise and food, and creating a manga without knowing how to draw.

Q: Why should you map the existing workflow before building the app?

Mapping reveals the actual steps the software must support and can be quick or demanding depending on your experience. The speaker mapped bookkeeping immediately after doing it for five years, but needed an entire professional course to understand the nine steps of manga creation.

Q: What are practical examples of hyperspecific AI apps?

Examples include a locally hosted accounting app for multiple countries and currencies, a custom slide deck maker, and a manga generator driven by text prompts and rough drawings. The speaker also built an email agent that screens and pre-drafts messages and an assistant that manages seven calendars.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• A hyperspecific app is software built with AI-assisted coding for very specific personal or business use cases that would never exist as commercial software. Examples shown include a custom accounting app handling multiple countries' regulations and currencies, a custom slide deck maker, a manga generator, an email screening agent, and a calendar assistant covering seven calendars.

• The advantages are custom features impossible to find in commercial software, near-zero running cost, full control over where data goes, and no requirement to write code yourself. Apps cost around $10 to $20 to build on average, and depending on hosting they can be run again and again without incurring additional costs, unlike a monthly software subscription.

• The five-step framework begins with identifying the workflow, which falls into three categories: tasks that are the bane of your existence but must be done, tasks you procrastinate on despite knowing they help, and things you want to do but lack the skill, time, or resources for. Steps two and three are mapping the existing workflow and identifying where the app fits inside it.