The 2026 guide · practical AI · every level
Anyone can build with AI
Understand how LLMs work, then put them to work on your own use case — whatever your level. Everything here tested firsthand.
This is not a link dump, and it is not only for engineers. Everything here is something I have read, run, or shipped myself — written so a developer, a product manager, and a first-time builder can each find the version pitched at their level. The end goal is simple: AI for everyone.
That includes doing it directly — I've long helped NGO friends with small projects, and I build AI systems for non-profits free. For non-profits
The blog
What I run into building AI systems day to day — the decisions, the dead ends, and the reasoning behind them.
Tooling worth your time
A short list, not a directory. Every tool here is one I have actually used, and the entry says what it was good for and where it got in the way.
Builds
Whole projects, end to end, with the architecture calls and the repo — not screenshots of someone else’s demo.
Starter kits
Clone-and-go starter kits with the boring parts already decided, so your time goes into the part that is yours.
More on what this site is — and what it isn't — about SaikoDev
Tech Blog
All postsThe Stars Were Fake: A Structured Data Audit of This Site
Google’s rich-result menu, checked against what actually still renders in 2026 — what the audit found on this site, what shipped, and the one type this site once faked and will not touch again.
SEOStructured DataWeb Dev8 min readReadWho Trains on Your Code? Copilot, Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT Compared
The data policies behind four AI coding tools, read so you don’t have to — who trains on your input, who keeps it and for how long, and what the business tiers actually buy.
Data PrivacySecurityAI Coding Tools12 min readReadDeepSeek Harness: Everything Is a Plugin
Run DSH in two minutes, read its plugin tree, write your first plugin — and see why it bets in the exact opposite direction from Pi.
Agent HarnessDeepSeekArchitecture14 min readRead
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AI tools, by the job you are doing
5 categories, 21 tools — what each one does, what it costs, and where it stops
Coding agents & AI editors
A coding agent is a program that reads the files in your project, asks a language model what to change, and then makes the change: writing files, running commands, reading the output and going again.
4 toolsBuild an app without code
"Describe an app, get a running app" is the pitch, and it is close enough to true to be worth explaining properly.
4 toolsAgents & workflow automation
Two different jobs hide under one label here.
4 toolsRun AI on your own machine
Three reasons to run a model on your own computer.
5 toolsShip & watch AI apps
A model on its own does very little.
4 toolsFeatured tools
An editorial pick, not a ranking — compiled from vendor documentation and pricing pages, not tested hands-on
Cline
FreeA free open-source agent inside VS Code that edits files and runs commands, asking your permission before each step.
Aider
FreeA free terminal tool that edits your code with the model you choose, turning every change into a git commit you can review or undo.
Base44
from $20/monthDescribe an app and get the interface, database, login and hosting. Free gives 25 message credits a month and up to five apps.
Lovable
from $25/monthDescribe a web app and get a React and Supabase build. Pro is $25 a month; the free plan's allowance is not published.
Dify
from $590/yearBuild chatbots and agent workflows over your own documents. The free Sandbox gives 200 message credits, five apps and 50 knowledge documents.
Ollama
from $20/monthThe default way to run models locally, driven from a terminal. Free and unlimited on your own hardware; the 2026 cloud tier is separate.
New posts as I write them
Write-ups, tooling, and starters you can clone — practical AI at every level.