Friday Newsletter

Ok this week, I got off the Ai horse for a bit. I am a bit Ai saddle sore, if thats a thing. Turns out there is a limited, that even I can tired of. This week I did some reading, explored the Magma AI Agent Platform and built out a Beehiiv Identity solution. Happy Friday everyone!

Author

Stephan Smith
March 14, 2025

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No-Code vs Code Confusion?

Ironically, these days, the holy grail of low coding is code written by an AI app builder. I have received several questions from non-technical founders about how they can leverage this approach.

They are asking how they can tap into this approach.

So first I tell them, dive in. Signup for a basic Bolt new account, V0.dev, or any growing number of AI coding solutions. Here is my list.

Ai Coding Tools

Exploration of how much I can get AI to replace my "Code Brain" approach to building solutions.

lowcodecto.com/p/ai-coding-tools

Nothing beats getting your hands dirty.

Second, I will present some AI Coding tools at the free Tech Communities Unite event on March 17th. Thanks for the invite Sandra Ma! (I am not too nervous)

Tech Communities Unite! · Luma

Calling all product managers, engineers, designers, and tech enthusiasts! Whether in Boston or beyond, join us for Tech Communities Unite, an event…

lu.ma/g9i3eps5?tk=mxcht9

Third, I am working on more content to help guide people through this process. Stay tuned. Being a technical founder is equally challenging, but it's just in reverse. To help others, I am actively learning some technology patterns to make the approaches usable to more people.

Long live the non-technical founders!

A Novel Low-Code Solution

Identity management, such as username and password, is essential to any low-code or no-code technology. Traditionally, a development team has built and secured applications' protected and private features.

I have been rethinking the role of usernames and passwords. In a low-code stack, selecting a vendor that offers this service saves time and keeps grunt work out of the application.

Rethinking the stack components aims to find solutions or approaches that lower the cost and impact of identity management in a given no-code startup stack.

Read how I have leveraged the Beehiiv subscription service to provide login control for a Low-Code CTO Applications suite. To access a micro app, users must have an active subscription. 

I share the source code, explain the approach, and provide examples. I even show the prompts to tell an AI how to add this little gem to your app.

Beehiiv as my login?

A key part of startups’ technology stack is how they approach public vs. private features. Usernames and passwords are the logical starting point. Other ways require a little imagination but lower the impact on roadmaps and tech spending.

lowcodecto.com/p/beehiiv-as-my-login

What I am Reading

This is an excellent article about the move to AI search Engines and the related issues with good results. The TLDR is that while the new gen of search engines feels brighter than legacy Google and Bing, the results are much more spotty. 60% accuracy requires the reader to do more fact checking

AI Search Has A Citation Problem

We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News.

www.cjr.org/tow_center/we-compared-eight-ai-search-engines-theyre-all-bad-at-citing-news.php?utm_source=www.aifire.co&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=60-of-top-search-engines-are-incorrect&_bhlid=eb9c3cad221b15a57c77e79fb8507b765393a242

Finally, I love the Rundown AI. It can sometimes be too technical, but it’s a great source of insights. Low-Code readers don’t need to know the details of specific AI models, but if that’s your gig, read on.

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Special Thanks

Finally, Stevie LOVES Startup Swag. The Wonderkins at Pompeii Labs shared some of their new swag this week. Their new AI Agent platform, Magma Deploy, is nutty cool. If I were not writing this newsletter, I would be deep in their platform, playing with tech toys.

The Magma Boys!

Startup swag!