Whenever Matt Cortland would call home, his mother would share her frustrations with him.
“She repeatedly called us asking what we were going to do about gas prices in the U.S.,” he recounted to Business Insider in early April, when prices were just reaching a $4 per gallon average. “She would exclaim, ‘It’s just absurd.’
In response, Cortland and his husband, John Fleming—a postdoctoral researcher specializing in AI systems at the University of Oxford—created a website called Gas Index to monitor gas prices. They utilized various AI tools to assist in developing the site, including a phone bot that has contacted nearly 20,000 gas stations across the U.S. to gather pricing information.
Cortland and Fleming invested around $5,000 and managed to launch the site within days.
After successfully creating a product with AI from the ground up, they have a message for students and budding engineers: leverage AI as both a resource and a mentor—and ensure it’s a bit challenging.
The key, they point out, is to encourage large language models to critique your work rather than simply agree with it.
“You can say, ‘Hey, my friend has this idea, but I think it’s really foolish,'” Fleming suggested. “You essentially trick the AI into believing it’s providing valuable insights by offering constructive criticism.”
Cortland often prompts AI to “explain it to me like I’m naive,” while Fleming encourages his models to question his assumptions.
“His models can be quite harsh,” Cortland joked.
They also advise using AI to guide you through the step-by-step process of software development.
“Frequently, we have it act as our tutor as we work on projects,” Fleming explained. “For instance, it teaches me optimal software engineering techniques. Although I’m in academia, we don’t consider ourselves engineers. By utilizing AI as a coach, you can significantly accelerate your learning process.”
Equally important, they emphasize the necessity of sharing your creations with the world. This sentiment has also been echoed by some of Silicon Valley’s leading figures—such as LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman.
“We’re striving to assist everyone in navigating a challenging situation,” Cortland remarked. “It reflects a trend of building in public. When you have an idea, share what you used and how you accomplished it. It’s a way to demonstrate your skills.”
