Welcome to Field Notes

I burned the gate.

Or — I'm in the process of burning it. The "AI is intimidating" gate. The "you have to be a developer to ship this" gate. The "wait until someone certifies you" gate. All of them. Down.

This is Field Notes — the public version of the working notebook I've kept for the last decade as a full stack software engineer. I'm publishing here because for the last two years I've been on the phone with friends, family, and clients walking them through the same five questions about AI over and over. So I'm writing it down once, for everyone.

Who this is for

If you fall into one of these, this is for you:

• You're a founder who wants AI inside your business but doesn't know where to start.
• You're a creator who's heard the word "automation" 400 times this month and you're tired of guessing which tool to use.
• You're a builder like me who wants someone to skip the hype and just show you the receipts.
• You're non-technical and you're sick of being talked down to.

It's not for: AI hype merchants, prompt-engineering grifters, or anyone who thinks responsibility is optional.

What you'll get every week

One issue. One build. One walkthrough.

I won't fill your inbox with "AI predictions" or "10 must-know prompts." I'll show you what I shipped this week, what I broke, what I learned, and how you can do the same in under an hour.

Most weeks include:

1. A real build (with screenshots and the prompt or workflow)
2. The receipts (time saved, error rate, before/after)
3. A "your turn" — the smallest version of the thing you can ship this weekend

Why now

Because there's a window — right now — where being a responsible AI builder is rare and the people who get good at it become the trusted voice in their space. Authority isn't loud. It's a track record. I'm starting mine in public.

If that lands with you, subscribe to the newsletter — you'll get AI Field Notes Vol. 01, a free 12-page PDF with 10 builds you can ship this weekend.

See you in the inbox.

— Key