I don’t usually add new goals to my list when January comes around, but this year I’m making an exception. I want to make an iPhone app. (Funnily enough, most people when they hear that assume it has something to do with cats. Nope. This one is decidedly cat-free.) It’s not an incredibly complicated app (at least, it doesn’t seem like it should be to me), but it fills a need I think exists, and I want to see if I can do it.
One of the reasons I feel like I can? Artificial Intelligence. I’ve had a nice back and forth with ChatGPT about my idea and the process involved, and it was very supportive of the idea, going so far as to map out the best path to take to make the app. Yes, I realize there are still folks out there who think AI is a con job. All I can say is that it’s a con job that really works, so long as it’s treated the right way.
I had originally hoped I could just have AI code the whole thing for me in pieces, but after using it for a bit, it quickly became apparent that I might actually need to understand code to be able to understand what AI was telling me to do. (Go figure.) Did that turn me off the idea? Nope. Because I just asked AI to help me figure out the basics of Swift (the language iOS apps are written in), and it sent me off and running.
That’s how I eventually came to set a goal of completing “100 Days of SwiftUI“. Break a big goal down into manageable chunks, and I’m much likelier to complete it. I’ve already finished three days, and I plan to keep pushing forward. Once I’ve finished it, I hope to understand Swift well enough to have AI help me get through the App design relatively easily.
Yes, I realize I’m likely underestimating the work involved. Yes, I understand I might not ever make my app. But I’m sure I’ll learn a great deal in the process, and I look forward to that, if nothing else. Will AI help me do the whole thing? Who knows, but for now, it’s help me do the most important part:
Start.