How I use AI: No more spreadsheets and the shift towards vibe coding internal apps

Spreadsheets are great, until they are not. With spreadsheets scattered everywhere, they are where data goes to die.

More recently I've been raising a 'red flag' mote to myself whenever I see a spreadsheet being used, or being tempted to use. And when I see that happening, I ask whether an internal app can be made instead.

If there is a potential great use of AI, it is for wherever you use a spreadsheet. This is the mindset we currently have. Wherever we have recently used a spreadsheet to help us get something done, perhaps we should vibe code it instead. And it feels good.

I'm getting a bit tired of human in the loop. Where we talk about AI taking control and doing all the things, and what we have to think about is a human being in the loop, almost as a verification process. Do we really see the future of humanity being 'head nodders', checking off things?

That doesn't feel like how we are using it AI.  Of course, we're all at different stages of AI use, and I think it's important to express the way we using it. Not everyone is creating magical agentic workflows, nor do many of us aspire to that.

I feel it is too overwhelming to go in and redesign everything with an AI lens, maybe one day we will, but what is more manageable and sensible is to seek efficiencies. And that is what we've been doing - seeking efficiencies. This also feels like a less risky approach. We need to have confidence in the transistions we make.

One example we currently, is the creation of our certifications. With multiple authors and content flying about everywhere, we had a spreadsheet that was religiously updated. I was always too scared to go near it! But this time Simon has used Claude to build an internal app to help keep track of all the requirements of our next cert. No, it won't be an automated process, but it we believe it will be more efficient and joyful.

It looks visually pleasing. It's easy for anyone to look at without fear. It's easy to update. And it certainly passes The Ahh Test.

Now, whenever we find ourselves in a spreadsheet, we find ourselves wondering whether we should spin up an internal.

It certainly adds to the debate of The SaaSpocalypse. Some say SaaS is dead. Others disagree. I say it depends. And it's worth paying attention to how some apps are shifting towards internal AI tooling offerings. What I feel for our situation is that we would have never purchased a SaaS to help us solve these problems. Often we've tried in the past, or used different tools, but they never quite stuck. At least for us, it feels like it's heading in the right direction.

Using AI doesn't have to be a big transformation. The media and tech bros will try to convince you otherwise. It can be used every day to find efficiencies. Over time, we'll learn how to use it better, discover wins, and continue to build better overall systems.