"But I'm not technical!"
A few months back, I met with a mid-career person who pitched me on a new role: they wanted to spend time with AI product builders to figure out how the industry is changing.
My immediate response was: Ok, but what is your experience building AI products?
"But I'm not technical!" they protested.
Well, I told them, that won't cut it for building an informed perspective on AI transformation. The state of play is changing too quickly. The best way to build an informed perspective is to dive in to use the tools yourself. Plus, I told them, you can totally do it! You don't need to be technical! Practical building is the fastest path to credibility in a climate where everyone is looking for informed perspective, etc etc.
I don't think I was wrong as far as credibility goes. But lately I've been wondering: Was my advice realistic?
You don't need to be technical, but it helps to be technical-ish
In the world of AI, you no longer need to be an engineer to build apps. You don't need to be a data scientist to analyze data. You don't need to be a designer to launch a credible website. Just use your words to say what you want and you're good to go, no technical skills required! Right?
Kind of.
Even just a few weeks ago, if pressed, I would have made statements like the above. (Ok, I actually did make those statements, and I was not pressed.) And it's true, you don't need be expert at Python syntax to build an agent. On the other hand, to build effectively with AI tools, you do need to have an intuitive sense of what can be built in the first place. And the reality is that technical people have a huge head start in envisioning what is possible.
Confession time: I am not a 10x engineer. I am a hack. I like words more than code. For me, code has always been just a means to an end: find the story in the data, accomplish the task, prop up the website. It is not pretty. Compared to the brilliant engineers I have worked with over my career, I am more technical-ish than technical.
On the other hand, I have skills to meet this moment that truly non-technical people find much less accessible.
Case in point: Over the last few weeks, I've observed three industry workshops designed to help people onboard to AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, Cowork, and Claude Code. The crowds mostly came from corporate functions like HR, strategy, and sales. Not engineers, but experienced professionals with long histories in the tech industry.
The workshop facilitators prepared AI 101 exercises that participants could do using apps they already used, stuff like Excel and Copilot Chat, as well as new tools like Claude Code. The purpose was to show how much people can accomplish these days without a traditional technical background. Stuff like:
- Turn a CSV into a five-slide data analysis
- Build an agent that sends you a daily briefing on your calendar for the day
- Publish a simple website
Unfortunately, in all three workshops, much of the audience fell behind immediately and gave up. Among participants that were able to complete the exercises, the most common question I heard was some version of, "Can you give me a cheat sheet so I remember how to do this later on?"
For most participants, the trainings were more about memorizing specific steps and less about learning to think in an AI-native way that would help them apply the tools independently. On the other hand, participants with even modest technical backgrounds tended to find the exercises much too basic. They spent their workshop time either checked out or helping colleagues do the basics.
There is a real divide, and it is consistent.
A major inequity, compounding every few hours
I feel a little bad that I've ever said, "You don't need to be technical!" to people learning to build with AI. When I hear the sentiment from others, it is nearly always well-meaning; we want to empower and enable people in a climate that is changing at lightning pace. But it is a little bit gaslighting nonetheless.
There are numerous dividing lines between those poised to benefit from AI transformation and those at risk of being left behind. One dividing line we have seriously underestimated is someone's foundation in technical thinking. You don't need to be technical, but it sure helps to be technical-ish.
Kieran
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