Editor’s Note

This article was written in June 2025, but it’s based on a voice note I recorded back in September 2024, aka the moment when the idea for what would become the AI Makers Network first crystallized.

The core vision has remained remarkably consistent, though the reality of building and running the community has taught me things I never could have anticipated in that original voice memo.

Also, a special thanks to Neal for encouraging me to just launch it and see what happens.

The Jealousy That Sparked an Idea

I’ll be honest… jealousy was my wake-up call.

Over the past few months, I kept running into YouTube channels and newsletters where people had positioned themselves as AI experts, building communities and getting paid to have the exact conversations I love having. At first, this made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like feeling envious of what they’d built.

But then I realized something important: I wasn’t jealous of the people constantly hyping every new model release or publishing newsletters every hour. That told me something crucial about what I actually wanted to do.

I was jealous of the people talking about building things with AI… having real conversations about applied solutions and getting paid to facilitate those discussions. That’s when it clicked.

The Two Waves of AI Innovation

As I reflected on this, I started seeing the AI landscape differently. There are at least two waves of people pushing the field forward:

The First Wave consists of the hype enthusiasts and tip-of-the-spear innovators (the very front of the Diffusion of Innovations curve). They’re out front, parsing through every new development, assigning value to updates, and keeping everyone informed about what’s happening at the bleeding edge. This work is genuinely valuable… someone needs to be scanning the horizon.

The Second Wave is where I see myself fitting in. These are innovators and early adopters who say, “Okay, cool. You’ve identified all these resources and tools. Now what can we actually make with what’s here?”

This second wave isn’t obsessed with staying current on every daily trend. Instead, they’re focused on taking usable tools and creating real solutions to real problems. They’re the applied solutions cutting edge.

Learning from Past Mistakes

This realization connected with something I’d been grappling with for a while. I had plans for another community focused on systems thinking (a topic I’m genuinely interested in).

But systems thinking as a pure discipline is… well, it’s theoretical. Most people don’t see immediate value in abstract frameworks, no matter how useful they might be long-term.

My previous community venture, The Okrēo, taught me this lesson the hard way.

It’s hard to build a community around theoretical use cases. People need to solve immediate pain points. Most people aren’t proactively looking for tools that might help them someday. They’re trying to solve problems they have right now.

But here’s the beautiful thing about AI: it’s inherently practical.

When you’re building AI systems, you’re naturally doing systems thinking. You’re connecting different technologies, considering workflows, and thinking about integration points. The theoretical becomes immediately applicable.

The Community I Want to Build

So here’s what I’m creating: an AI makers community that sits in that second wave.

This isn’t another group focused on the latest model releases or AI news. Instead, it’s for people who want to:

  • Build actual solutions with established AI tools
  • Collaborate with others who have complementary skills
  • Have technical conversations without overwhelming newcomers
  • Connect theory to practice in meaningful ways

I envision two types of events:

Conversational Events

Group discussion and conversations, maybe with a short presentation on a topic and Q&A. The goal is to share knowledge and facilitate connections between members.

Hands-On Events

Sessions to actually make stuff. This could be like co-working sessions, workshops, and hackathons where people bring their projects, share their expertise, and help each other build. Think peer programming, but for AI applications across different disciplines.

Why This Matters to Me

One of my core strengths is connecting. Both connecting people to each other and connecting ideas across disciplines. A former professor recently told me he could see me as an educator someday (a genuine compliment which I don’t take lightly).

That combination of connecting and guiding feels like exactly what a community like this needs.

I’m also tired of having conversations where I end up “vomiting information” on people because I’m so excited to finally talk about this stuff. I need peers who can engage at a technical level, and I suspect I’m not alone in that need.

Building Something Sustainable

Another crucial lesson from The Okrēo: communities need to be financially sustainable from the start. Labor of love projects burn out eventually.

I’d like to find a clear path to sustainability for the community. Not because I’m trying to get rich, but because sustainable communities require sustainable economics.

I’m starting simple:

  • A clear mission statement and community guidelines
  • A website that explains who we are and what we do
  • Event platforms for both online and in-person gatherings
  • A membership structure that creates value for participants

The First Step

Every project starts somewhere. For me, it started how it usually starts: buying a domain name.

That domain is aimakers.net. Somehow it was available. Sometimes the universe sends small signals.

But more importantly, it started with recognizing that the jealousy I felt was actually pointing me toward something I wanted to create. Not the hype, not the constant content creation, but the community building around practical application.

What’s Next

Right now I’m finishing up a client project first. That’s my commitment to myself before diving fully into this. But once that’s done, I’ll be building this community with the same systematic approach I use for other projects.

If you’re someone who’s building with AI, who wants to connect with others doing similar work, or who’s interested in the intersection of theory and practice in emerging technologies, this might be for you.

Because at the end of the day, the most interesting conversations happen when people are actually making things—not just talking about what might be possible, but figuring out what is possible, right now, with the tools we have.

The community’s live. Go check it out at https://aimakers.net

This is the first Maker’s Log for the AI Makers Network. If this resonates with you, stay tuned. We’re just getting started.