🕒 4 min read

The Chicago snowstorm may have covered the streets in white, but it didn’t stop curious minds from stepping into the Lab for a transformative AI Seminar. What began as a cold, quiet morning turned into a warm exchange of ideas, breakthroughs, and hands-on discovery. I’ve always believed that when students are truly ready, the teacher appears — and on this day, the teacher wasn’t me alone. It was the moment, the tools, the energy, and the hunger for knowledge.

Attendees arrived expecting a standard introduction to artificial intelligence. What they received instead was a full-force immersion into the future: how AI, coding-free development tools, and cross-platform workflows can empower anyone — truly anyone — to build something valuable, meaningful, and income-generating.

Building apps with no prior coding knowledge

One of the most surprising moments for the group was seeing complex mobile and web applications come to life with nothing more than natural language. Using ChatGPT, Gemini, and live WordPress API feeds, we built:

• An iOS app prototype built in SwiftUI
• An Android app interface generated through Jetpack Compose
• A full WordPress-powered data pipeline feeding both apps instantly
• A desktop-ready web application anyone could run at home

No coding background. No IDE mastery. Just the power of AI as a creative partner. If you attended, you saw how a simple English prompt could generate screens, navigation flows, and integrated data structures. In minutes.

A new definition of holiday hustle

With the holiday shopping season approaching, attendees learned how to transform their app ideas into monetizable products. We explored methods to:

• Create subscription-based micro tools
• Build niche business apps using WordPress + AI
• Generate downloadable digital products for instant online income
• Integrate affiliate marketing and ad-revenue models

Instead of simply learning AI, participants left with revenue-ready concepts — something they could launch before the year ends.

The moment that changed the room

There was a point — you could feel it — when everyone realized they were witnessing a shift. A shift from passive technology users to empowered creators. Questions became ideas. Ideas became rough prototypes. Prototypes became business blueprints.

Someone asked how to build a local guide for Chicago. We built it. Another asked about directory apps for attorneys. We built that too. A third asked about AI-powered curriculum tools. Yes — built.

And all of it happened live, during a storm, with laughter, curiosity, and a sense of community that felt rare and genuine.

The teacher, the lab coat, and the readiness of the room

In the photos above, you’ll see me in my white lab coat. Not because I’m a scientist, but because the work we’re doing together *is* a kind of experiment — an exploration of what’s possible when everyday people step into the command center of modern technology.

I don’t stand in front of a room to show what I can do. I stand there to show people what *they* can do — faster, easier, and with more creativity than they ever imagined.

A community is forming

Between yesterday’s chat sessions, coding assistance, business model brainstorming, and even requests to build pro-bono legal aid apps, a pattern has emerged: people are ready. Ready to learn, ready to build, ready to step into the next chapter of digital creation.

And as always — when the students are ready, the teacher will appear.

“AI won’t replace your creativity. It will amplify it.”
— Myrin New

Thank you to everyone who ventured out through the snowfall to attend the seminar. The next session — our Pre-Christmas AI Seminar — will be held on December 13, 2025. Registration is free, and the momentum is already building.