The Non-Techie’s Guide to AI: What Coding with AI Taught Me About Building a Team

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is designed to make things easier—but only if you have the right team. Like any high-performing team, success isn’t just about effort—it’s about having the right players in the right roles.

I learned this firsthand in my Coding with AI class when I built my first AI-powered tool—a Pomodoro timer.

I expected the biggest challenge to be technical. Instead, I realized the real test was structuring my AI "team" effectively.

The key to success wasn’t working harder—it was knowing which "AI team member" to rely on for what.

Here’s what this experience taught me about building and leading the right team—whether in AI or in business.

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Issue: AI Is Powerful—But Only If You Know How to Talk to It

I used Anthropic’s Claude AI model for the assignment. I gave it instructions, expecting it to generate exactly what I envisioned which was…

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Instead, I got… errors.

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At first, I thought the problem was technical. But the real issue?

My instructions were bad.

Too long, too vague, and not how Claude worked best.

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Solution: Using AI to Talk to AI

I had an idea: What if I used ChatGPT to help me talk to Claude?

Of all the AI tools, ChatGPT was the one I knew best and the most user-friendly for a non-techie like me.

Instead of struggling to simplify my prompts, I asked ChatGPT to rewrite them for clarity.

Here’s what happened:

✅ ChatGPT refined my instructions, making them clearer.

✅ Claude executed the code—but only after I gave it better input.

✅ By using one AI to improve how I communicated with another, I created a feedback loop—where tools amplified each other’s strengths.

Here’s the result.

I still can’t believe I built that!

You can try Jomodoro here .

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The Bottom Line

✅ Instead of using one AI tool for everything, try building a team of AI members with different strengths.

ChatGPT helped me refine my language, while Claude helped me execute and build.

✅ Instead of assuming AI will “figure it out,” remember—just like people, AI processes information differently.

Your job is to adapt, structure, and communicate in a way it understands.

Clear input drives better output.

✅ Instead of expecting perfection on the first try, try an iterative approach. The best results don’t come from working harder. They come from

• harnessing your team’s strengths

• knowing when, how and what to delegate

• knowing to whom to delegate

This isn’t just about getting AI to work for you—it’s about learning how to work smarter with AI.

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