My AI Builder Crushes on Substack
A look at the people influencing my AI workflow right now
Lately, I’ve been paying closer attention to who I’m learning from.
Not in a casual way, but in a “what am I using, what am I testing, what is shaping how I work” kind of way.
That’s how this list came together.
These are the AI builders I keep coming back to. The ones whose posts I read, whose ideas I try, and whose work has worked its way into my own process. Some are building tools. Some are sharing workflows. Some are asking better questions about how we use AI.
All of them have influenced how I think about visibility, content, and what’s possible right now. The people on the list are my current AI Builder Crushes! I have no doubt others will be added to the list in the coming months.
So this is a simple shout-out.
A way to recognize the people who are helping me do better work.
And if you’re looking for smart voices to follow on Substack, this is an excellent place to start.
To make this easy to skim, I kept each one simple:
Name (click to see their profile on Substack and follow/subscribe)
What they’re doing
A good place to start reading about what they’re building
My AI Builder Crushes
Kim Doyal
Having known Kim for many years, she’s the first person I reached out to when I saw what she was creating with AI. We spent nearly 2 hours on Zoom while Kim showed me apps she was creating with Loveable. That was in 2025. Kim’s AI building is far beyond that now, and my mind is blown every time she introduces something new. Kim shows how she runs her weekly content and business with AI as part of her process. Her posts walk through real examples so you can see how it works without guessing.
Start here:
Mia Kiraki 🎭
I started to see Mia’s Notes being retacked by others I followed. I was hooked. Her creativity and clever prompts always made me stop, read, think, and save for my prompting experiments. Mia shares practical AI workflows that help creators turn ideas into usable systems. Her work shows how to move from chatting with AI to building something that supports your day-to-day work. Her newsletter, Robots Ate My Homework, is not only enlightening, every edition is visually entertaining as well. Mia is the first person I realized I had an AI Builder Crush on!
Start here:
Finn Tropy
I was immediately enamoured with Finn when I saw a Note mentioning he was building an app to schedule Substack Notes. He was asking for beta testers and I raised my hand. Since then he’s created several more Substack-focused apps that help publishers automate some tedious tasks. Finn focuses on building small AI-driven products for solo creators. His work gives you a look at how ideas turn into simple tools and income streams.
Start here:
Karen Spinner
I adore Karen. Like everyone on this list, Karen is generous, creative, smart, and helpful. When Karen mentioned she wanted to create an AI tool to easily create carousels for LinkedIn and was looking for beta testers, I jumped (see a pattern here?) Creating carousels is one of my least favorite social media assets to make. So I stopped. Karen’s CarouselBot has solved that tedious problem. She explores AI tools with curiosity and clear explanations. Her posts help you understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to use these tools in real situations. I own several tools Karen’s built.
Start here:
Dr Sam Illingworth
Sam’s work makes me think beyond my usual sphere. As a builder, Sam has created a couple of apps that I would call “assessments.” They’re designed to make you think about AI beyond the bounds of writing and reflect on its impact. The first app is a “game” that tests whether you can tell if a quote was written by a human or by AI. The second one determines your level of worry about using AI and recommends non-AI books. Sam argues “that literacy, not AI literacy, is the foundational skill we are neglecting.” Sam writes about writing, creativity, and how humans work with AI tools. His work slows things down and asks you to think about what makes writing feel real.
Start here:
Daria Cupareanu
I honed in on Daria’s work after reading and voting on a survey comparing ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. She wrote about migrating from ChatGPT to Claude. Many comments in the post asked how to migrate from one LLM to another. So Daria wrote a detailed tutorial AND built an app to help make the migration process easier. I worked my way through the tutorial and paid to use her app. It was an excellent experience, and for a non-techy, she made it easy to understand and implement. Daria builds and shares practical tools that solve real problems with AI. She focuses on simple solutions you can use right away, like moving your data or setting up workflows.
Start here:
Joel Salinas
I’m in the early stages of figuring out how to use Claude, beyond prompting for content. When I read Joel’s article about using Claude Skills, I followed his instructions to the tee for adding a Skill to my account. And it worked! Walking the path behind someone who’s been there before me, helps me study and practice skills I can then later create myself. Joel’s tutorials help me do that. Joel shares how he uses AI to improve thinking, leadership, and productivity. His posts break down specific skills you can apply without overcomplicating the process.
Start here:
Karo (Product with Attitude)
Karo came on my radar when she created a Valentine’s app so users could create kind of snarky Valentine messages, then download them to share. I created messages for friends and family and had fun doing it. Having fun with an app made me realize maybe I could do this too! Karo shows how fast you can go from idea to working app using AI coding tools. Her experiments make building feel accessible, even if you don’t see yourself as technical. 🙋🏻♀️
Start here:
Elena | AI Product Leader
In December 2025, Elena launched the AI Advent Calendar, a hands-on way to learn AI through daily prompts and small experiments. It was so cool! I hope she’ll build one for 2026. Her approach keeps learning simple and consistent.
Start here:
Jenny Ouyang
I’m learning from Jenny, too. I’m starting with her guide to onboarding to Claude. It goes step by step, and that’s what I need to accelerate my learning vs. spending a lot of time figuring it out. Jenny shares how she builds and launches AI tools and creator products, like her Quick Viral Notes app. Her work focuses on simple builds, fast testing, and getting ideas out into the world.
Start here:
As I was putting this list together, I noticed something I hadn’t really named before.
I’m not just reading these builders. I’m learning from them, testing what they share, and using parts of it in my own work. A lot of what I do now has been shaped, in small ways, by what they’ve put out into the world.
That made me think about visibility a little differently.
We tend to think visibility means talking about our own work. Writing our posts. Sharing our ideas. Staying consistent with our content.
That matters.
But there’s another way to build visibility that fits more naturally for a lot of people, especially if talking about yourself feels like a stretch some days.
It starts with paying attention to other people’s work and being willing to talk about it.
Here’s what that looks like in practice…
One of the simplest visibility habits I’ve developed over the years has nothing to do with promoting my own work.
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