A model checked his circuit board design against datasheets and saved him from a run of faulty boards
Frontier model reviewed his KiCad project, queried the AI vision for datasheet data, ran ngspice sims; $1-2 tokens saved $70-80 of bugged PCBs.
$75
348 new ideas this week
Level up how you use AI
Real things everyday people got it to do, and how to try them yourself.
A random mix from the whole library. Shuffle for a new set.
The AI built my insurance appeal package and my doctor used its letter
When her employer's plan stopped covering her medication, the AI worked out that the plan had a continuation of therapy route and built a full appeal package for her to hand in, arguing the drug was a continuation rather than a new request. She filed it, and her doctor used the letter template it wrote.
This only partly worked. Worth knowing before you try it.
The AI helped me unlock port mirroring on my EdgeRouter X
He used AI to test and document the unsupported switch controller in his own EdgeRouter X. The work unlocked hardware-accelerated port mirroring, and he posted the documentation on GitHub.
The AI helps me turn school data into public tables and graphics
He uploads his own data and points the AI to specific sources and documents, with examples he made before to show the format he wants. The AI then builds the tables and graphics for his Education Rights Project, public pages on education rights and funding in US states, with policy briefs, slide decks and interactive widgets.
The AI runs his Etsy channel, Chrome extensions and Facebook pages on autopilot
He describes the AI running on autopilot for his business — managing his Etsy channel, building Chrome extensions and operating his Facebook pages daily, needing his approval only rarely.
The AI built a browser for classic Macs for the old web protocol that still works
The AI built him a Gopher browser for Classic Macintosh systems, published on GitHub to replace the clunky TurboGopher he used before.
Handle my delayed DoorDash order — Instinct cancelled it against my refund-only rule and I lost $64
In WIRED's two-week test (republished by Dataist, Sept 24), Instinct cancelled a badly delayed DoorDash order even though the tester had specified cancellation was allowed only if he received a refund — costing him $64. Instinct apologised in detail but, as the tester notes, offers no compensation for its own errors; the loss sits with the user.
$64at stake
This one went wrong. See what happened before you try it.
An LLM built the sandbox a big project had left undone for almost a decade
An LLM built Homebrew's Landlock Linux sandbox that had sat unfixed on the roadmap for almost a decade, reviewed line by line by maintainers and shipped.
The AI rebuilt my pocket reader around my books, my fonts, and my reading habits
Merlin Mann bought a small Xteink X4 Pro e-reader and had the AI tailor it to him. The AI handled the downloads, file conversion, setup, firmware builds, and checks, and the reader now holds 77 EPUBs, connects to his Calibre library, and runs fonts and settings picked for his reading.
I never open a video editor. The AI cuts and captions my videos.
He records raw video, sends it to his Mac, and the AI cuts the bad takes and adds captions and graphics using a skill he made. He says he does not open a video editor anymore.
Every idea is a real post from someone who tried it, summarized in our words, with a link to the original. App names are swapped for plain words.