Who is a Builder?

Last week, I got to spend my Saturday at my first real builder event in Chicago, hosted by GDG Chicago. We helped 50 folks build all kinds of apps using Google technology. I learned a lot from their questions and I loved the diversity in the apps built. There were several I will personally use when they’re fully launched.

I even got some time to work on an app I’ve wanted to build for years, a kayak safety app. I was able to use Stitch to lay out the frontend and get advice on color palettes. I then used AI Studio to hook the design up to several US government APIs that provide data on marine weather, tides, and currents. I finished a prototype of my app and have been gathering feedback from friends who also kayak the waters of the Salish Sea. Overall, I left the event on a high, smiling, and very grateful for the opportunity to help folks build their ideas and to spend a few minutes on one of my own.

Definitions

When I told my friends I was going to Chicago for a builder event, they asked me “What’s a builder? Is that like a dev?” I gave them the answer I’ve been using internally for the last few months:

“A builder is someone who relies on AI to create an app, agent, or service.”

I like this definition because it makes it clear that AI is empowering folks to do things they couldn’t do before. This definition also helps differentiate builders from developers, without making them into two completely separate groups. In reality, some people can be both depending on context.

Developers vs Builders

Sometimes I get asked “Are developers builders?” And my answer is the completely unsatisfying “it depends.” These days most developers use AI for some of the toil of building software. And for a lot of developers, there are contexts where we are reliant on AI.

For example, I’m not a great frontend developer. I’ve tried to learn, but it isn’t one of my strengths. AI enables me to do the basics of creating UIs. So when it comes to frontend, I’m a builder. Several of our build day attendees were also traditional developers who were empowered to do things outside their normal skill set by AI.

Emerging Segment of Non-Coder Builders

Personally, I’m excited by the non-coder builders. I love seeing how experts in their field can make their ideas come alive with AI. I want to see the kinds of apps that marketers, authors, lawyers, dentists, real estate agents, and teachers build. I want to see how they can combine their expertise with AI tools to build something that helps them out every day.

That was the magic of our build day for me. Folks with no coding experience but expertise and an idea were able to spend a day with us and build apps that taught me interesting things about economics and body mechanics. Attendees were able to get advice from others and deploy something that they found valuable and interesting. They were surprised at what they could do with Google’s builder stack. And I was happy to teach them some basics of software to help them on their journey.

The Builder Revolution

I believe that the builder revolution, where anyone with deep domain knowledge, passion, and some tenacity can prototype an app, is already well underway. But I’m curious what others think. Do you have a definition of builder that you like? Do you have any good builder stories you want to share? Or are you waiting for a specific feature or a better model before you recommend your non-coder friends go build their first app? Let me know in the comments.

AI Usage Note: Google's image generation models were used to create the social card image for this post.