As an Executive Producer at Five & Done, I've led digital projects that required a unique blend of technical and creative skills. For many projects and processes, we use Slack and its various applications. In this case, we’ve used the same Slack polling app for years to gather quick feedback, from where we should go to lunch to what music should be on the Sonos. When that app started charging a substantial subscription fee, I saw an opportunity to build a suitable replacement using artificial intelligence. In this article, I'll share my journey of creating 'Easy Polls,' a Slack app that harnesses AI to poll fellow users, including the challenges I faced and the valuable lessons I learned along the way.
Embracing AI in Development
My decision to build a Slack app with AI was driven by a desire to explore simplifying the development process and pushing the boundaries of my existing technical skillset. By harnessing the power of AI, I was able to significantly reduce development time, improve the accuracy of the code, and improve the app's overall functionality. This experience has opened my eyes to the immense benefits of AI in development.
Collaborating with AI: A New Way of Working
Working with AI is an incredibly collaborative experience. I would provide the AI with prompts, which it would use to generate code. I would then review the code, make necessary adjustments, and provide feedback to the AI to refine its output. This interactive process of human and machine made the development journey more efficient and made me feel like an integral part of the AI's learning process. It's this sense of collaboration and empowerment that AI-driven development brings.
Technologies Used
I leveraged a range of innovative technologies to bring my vision to life. Here are some of the key technologies I used:
Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro: This AI model was crucial in generating code and simplifying development. Its ability to accept file uploads was invaluable, allowing me to streamline the development process. However, this model had slightly longer response times compared to GroqCloud.
GroqCloud with Llama3-70b: I utilized this powerful combination to tap into the ultimate combination of knowledge and speed. This combination provided AI responses in a quarter of the time it would take Gemini to provide a similar response.
BoltAI: This innovative application allowed me to consolidate my various chats and discussions across multiple AI models into a single, convenient platform.
