One of the most common questions I get when talking to people is how I know what to build…
@erica-layer · LinkedIn post · erica-layer_the-star… original · 2026-08-18
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One of the most common questions I get when talking to people is how I know what to build with AI.
I have a number of ways that I get information about what is possible to build. One of them is my weekly intelligence brief, which searches over 70 sources and synthesizes what I need to know. This has helped me stay up to date on where the field is moving and what is technically possible.
However, the vast majority of my inspiration comes from listening to podcasts about AI, with a focus on non-technical builders.
In the last couple of weeks, I have significantly improved my AI operating system based on podcasts where people are talking about their own systems (which I will write about in upcoming posts).
The strategy that I use is always the same.
I listen to a podcast, then I go into Claude and tell it the episode, ask it to pull the full transcript, and then create a detailed summary of everything that was discussed.
We then pull apart each section that is of interest to me, and I ask Claude to help me analyze what they have done and think through how this could be adapted for my system.
I always put a significant amount of my own judgment and preferences into what is built, and there is a lot of testing, iterating, and improving.
This is the way that I’ve created my AI operating system. I have patched together dozens of podcast episodes, learned from what others are doing, and created something uniquely tailored to me.
Three podcasts that I can highly recommend are: -Leveraging AI with Isar Meitis -How I AI with Claire Vo -The Startup Ideas Podcast with Greg Isenberg
And two recent episodes that have had a major impact on my thinking and building that I strongly recommend are:
Grace Clarke’s Claude Workflows for Business Automation and Rebuilding Gmail (How I AI) https://lnkd.in/gtJRxmBQ
How to Build an AI-Native Company in 2026, with Allie K. Miller (The Startup Ideas Podcast) https://lnkd.in/g5wd8Aif
What am I missing? What are other people’s favorites?