πŸ”₯ The AI & NoCode landscape explained simply


Learn to create with AI & NoCode.

Hey, happy Tuesday. It's a great day to read the Create With newsletter! ✨

And welcome to the 468 new subscribers since last week πŸ‘‹

We're thrilled to announce that Jonas Templestein, co-founder and former CTO of Monzo, will be joining us at Create With 2025! ​

Jonas, now CEO of iterate.com, is pioneering innovative ways to leverage AI for automatically building and scaling companies.

​Grab your advance ticket now for Β£99 to join us in London on 22nd May.​

πŸ”Ž Preview: In today's issue

  • πŸ”Ί The AI & NoCode tools pyramid explained
  • πŸŽ“ Tutorial: Introduction to AI and NoCode
  • πŸ‘Ύ Decoded: Vibe coding with Mr Hackathon
  • πŸ“‘ On your radar: Google AI releases are πŸ”₯

😣 Explain like I'm 5 (Jargon Buster)
​

The AI + NoCode Tools Pyramid

The world of AI and NoCode is hectic and confusing.

If you're a visual person like us, this will help you to visualise the landscape in one quick image.

It’s a simple way to describe the different levels of skill you can build when working with AI and NoCode tools. Think of it like a video game. Each level unlocks more power and possibility.

Main takeaway: You don’t need to reach the top. Stop wherever you feel comfortable. Even level 1 can change your life.

Here’s the pyramid in full:

πŸ› οΈ Tool Users (Level 1)

  • You're using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gamma
  • You give it prompts, it gives you content
  • Like using a calculator: input β†’ result

πŸ‘Ž The problem: You have to access these tools manually

Solved by...

πŸ€– Automations (Level 2)

  • You set up workflows and agents to automate tasks with AI as part of the flow
  • Use tools like Zapier or Make
  • AI becomes a backend assistant that runs things for you

πŸ‘Ž The problem: You can't easily share or monetise these automations

Solved by...

πŸ‘·β€β™€οΈ App Builders (Level 3)

  • You create full software productsβ€”think automations but with a customer-facing interface
  • Use tools like Bubble, Softr, WeWeb
  • Think of it as LEGO for building real apps
  • Customers will pay you to use your app

πŸ‘Ž The problem: You're more constrained than you would be with custom code

Solved by...

🀯 AI Code Generation (Level 4)

  • You talk to an AI and it writes code for you
  • Use tools like Replit, Lovable, or Bolt
  • You’re managing a team of robot developers
  • The code is completely custom and exportable anywhere

πŸ‘Ž The problem: Maintaining an app built with code you don't understand is technically challenging and risky.

---

Still confused? Here's a metaphor:

πŸ₯ͺ Level 1 is asking a chef to make you lunch.

πŸ§‘β€πŸ³ Level 2 is setting up a kitchen that makes lunches for you every day.

πŸ” Level 3 is setting up your own restaurant which sells your lunches to other people.

🦾 Level 4 is hiring a robot to build and run the entire kitchen based on your instructions.

The higher up you go, the more leverage you get. But every level has value. Pick the one that fits your goalβ€”and build from there.

Keen to learn more about each level? We just released our AI x NoCode Fast Track course - a concise, focused video course to get you up to speed on creating, automating and building in just 60 minutes!

You can watch the introduction video below, and find out more about the course here.

πŸ”Š On your radar

Keep your finger on the pulse on what's hot in the space right now

⭐️ Google FirebaseStudio released. Google just launched a free, browser-based tool that helps you build full-stack AI apps quickly and easily. They are pitching it as the all in one "prototype maker" (as always, playing it safe).

You can start from scratch, use templates, or describe your app in plain language, and Firebase Studio will generate the code for you.

⭐️ This matters because: It's (mostly) free. Like many Google products they're giving out a huge amount of firepower for low cost because they know they can afford it and they'll monetise later.

We gave some love to Meta last week so it seems fair to give Google some love this week. Here are some more new AI tools Google has introduced recently:

  1. Gemini App mobile screenshare - share you screen and ask away...even your Grandma might be able to use this. Gemini Live now allows Android users to share their screen or camera, enabling the AI to provide contextual help, such as shopping advice or troubleshooting, based on what it sees.​
  2. Google Docs has audio overviews - allowing users to hear their documents read aloud or summarised, aiding in multitasking and content reviews.
  3. Workspace Flows - describe tasks in everyday language, and the AI constructs automated workflows
  4. Google sheets has AI analysis - tools that analyse data, generate charts, and provide summaries, making data interpretation more accessible.​

Extra bytes

  • ChatGPT has a much improved memory, in fact it claims to be infinite.
  • OpenAI is already getting rid of the GPT-4.5 preview model it released in February, and is encouraging people to instead try its new GPT-4.1 model which is cheaper, faster, and better at complex tasks. It's exhausting trying to keep up!
  • ​Bolt.new introduced a native Stripe integration to make it easier to build monetised SaaS products.
  • ​n8n has introduced the MCP Server Trigger, enabling AI tools like Claude to directly activate your workflows. This means you can instruct Claude to perform tasks such as sending emails, posting on social media, or updating spreadsheets, all through n8n, without the need for self-hosting.
  • πŸ“£ We mentioned last week we’re announcing something big soon... We’re excited to partner with 100 School to bring you ⚑️BUILD WEEKEND 2025! Unlock your ideas in just 3 days! Subscribers of the Create With newsletter can RSVP before anybody else at BuildWeekend.com.

πŸŽ“ Tutorial: The AI and NoCode Pyramid

In this 10-minute video Kieran breaks down the AI and NoCode landscape simply and concisely. He introduces the AI + No-Code Learning Pyramid, a framework to help you visualise and navigate the growing ecosystem of tools for building, automating, and creating with AI.

It explains why these skills are becoming essential, using real-world examples and a personal story of going from stuck entrepreneur to empowered builder.

This is the first video from our new AI x NoCode Fast Track Course and it's a banger!

​Watch it here.​

πŸ”¬ Decoded: Vibe coding with Mr Hackathon

video preview​

​Dominic Norton (aka Mr. Hackathon) joins Create With for a deep dive into the latest AI and no-code toolsβ€”sharing how he builds fast, experiments constantly, and turns tiny projects into big opportunities.

From architecture student to indie hacker and consultant, his journey is packed with insights on learning by doing.

In this live session, Dominic demos four projects built with tools like Base 44, Bolt, and V0 by Vercelβ€”including an AI-powered calculator, cycle tracker, crypto forensics tool, and infinite songwriter. He then builds a selfie-based voting app live!

If you're into AI, automation, or no-code, this one's packed with gold.

​Watch it here​

Get your Create With Conference ticket today!

Each ticket includes:

  • a full day of keynotes, workshops, panels and insightful talks
  • networking with 300 builders, founders and business teams
  • demos of the latest AI features and platforms
  • complementary tea, coffee + lunch
  • access to the official afterparty
  • and a couple more surprises πŸ˜‰

Already got your invite for the 22nd of May in London? Keep an eye out for some special events coming to your inbox soon πŸͺ©

πŸ“ Final thoughts

This post got some serious heat and we think it's worth highlighting. Last week the CEO of Shopify told all its staff that AI is no longer optional, it's a mandatory skill.

Key takeaways:

  • AI is now mandatory at Shopify – Every employee is expected to use AI daily as a core part of their workflow. It’s being added to performance reviews and is treated like a baseline skill.
  • You must prove AI can’t do it before hiring – Teams must justify new hires by showing why AI tools or agents can’t handle the job first.
  • AI isn’t just a toolβ€”it’s a 100x multiplier – Top performers are already using AI to do previously impossible work at insane speed; this is now the expected norm.

Our take:

There are many more company leaders out there thinking the same who will soon follow suit. The companies that don't will be left behind.

The job market is going to shift massively in the next year. Knowing how to use AI will quickly become as expected as knowing how to send an email.

The good news? Because you're reading this email, you're already ahead of 99% of people.

With good vibes πŸ‘‹
​
The Create With Team ✨

71-75 Shelton Street , London, Greater London WC2H 9JQ
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