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What I shipped, what broke, what I learned.

Newsletter archives and deep dives. Real stories from building AI systems for real businesses.

9 Jun 2026

Key Lessons from the Lisbon AI Summit

Reflections from the Lisbon AI Summit 2026 — why 2026–2028 will define the future, why practicality will outrun hype, and where AI experience design is heading. Plus the AI Automation Masterclass cohort.

4 Jun 2026

The Anti-Slop Workflow

We can all smell the slop now. Here's the anti-slop workflow I use so AI amplifies your voice instead of flattening it into everyone else's — plus a prompt that teaches your AI who you actually are.

1 Jun 2026

It's not as hard as you think

Vibe coding explained, AI brain & body, and quantum AI birthing the matrix?

27 May 2026

Vibe coding from a plane

Another community call, some crucial lessons, a few skills, and why you need a brain.

20 May 2026

7 AI Tools I Use to Run a Farm and 5 Digital Brands

My actual daily stack — Claude Code, MCP servers, n8n, Airtable, Supabase, Resend, and Vercel. What each tool does, what it costs, and what it replaced.

20 May 2026

AI Consulting in NZ: What It Actually Costs in 2026

A transparent breakdown of AI consulting costs in New Zealand — from $500 discovery calls to $50,000+ implementations. Real numbers, no fluff.

20 May 2026

AI Consulting vs AI Agencies: Which Do You Need?

The honest difference between hiring an AI consultant and an AI agency in New Zealand — pricing, scope, and when each makes sense for your business.

20 May 2026

AI for Farmers: What Actually Works in NZ Agriculture

Not theory — what AI actually does on a working regenerative farm in the Hutt Valley. Shopify, newsletters, autonomous agents, voice-to-task pipelines, and honest limitations.

20 May 2026

How AI Saves NZ Tradies 10+ Hours a Week

Quoting, scheduling, invoice chasing, missed calls — the admin that eats your evenings. Here's how NZ tradies are using AI to get those hours back.

20 May 2026

How to Automate Your First Business Workflow with AI (Step-by-Step)

A practical guide to automating your first business process with AI — from identifying the right workflow to building and testing it. Includes a real customer follow-up example.

20 May 2026

Claude Code for Business: The Only Guide You Need (2026)

Claude Code isn't just for developers. Here's how business owners use it to build websites, automate tasks, create AI brains, and run autonomous agents — with real examples.

20 May 2026

7 Free AI Tools Every Small Business Should Be Using in 2026

Claude, ChatGPT, Airtable, n8n, Resend, Vercel, Supabase — what you can build with $0/month and why most businesses are overpaying for tools they don't need.

20 May 2026

How to Build an MCP Server (Plain English Guide)

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is how you connect AI to your actual business tools — email, Shopify, Airtable, Google Drive, and more. Here's what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

20 May 2026

The NZ Government Will Pay Half Your AI Consulting Bill — Here's How

The MBIE AI Advisory Pilot co-funds 50% of AI consulting costs for NZ businesses — up to $15,000. Here's who qualifies, how to apply, and what the money covers.

20 May 2026

AI Tools for Wellness Practitioners — The $0/Month Stack

How a breathwork facilitator runs bookings, payments, emails, and content on entirely free tools. The stack, the setup, and the Wellness OS template.

17 May 2026

Your AI brain that learns over time

The single most important thing you can do to start freeing up your time with AI.

9 May 2026

I'm Teaching AI to Edit Video Like Me (Here's How)

10 years of editing decisions, 7,925 clips, and a local AI stack on a Mac Mini. The experiment to extract an editing style and automate content creation.

9 May 2026

Upstream AI > Build with Billy

More realness, less slop. Helping you to free up your time.

8 May 2026

How Claude Code Changed My Career

From videographer to AI builder on a farm in New Zealand. The tools, the journey, and why the barrier isn't skill — it's starting.

19 Jan 2026

Newsletter #21

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #21

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

5 Jan 2026

Newsletter #20

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #20

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

21 Dec 2025

Newsletter #19

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #19

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

14 Dec 2025

Newsletter #18

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #18

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

30 Nov 2025

Newsletter #17

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #17

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

23 Nov 2025

Newsletter #16

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #16

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

16 Nov 2025

Newsletter #15

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #15

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

9 Nov 2025

Newsletter #14

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #14

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

2 Nov 2025

Newsletter #13

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #13

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

26 Oct 2025

Newsletter #12

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #12

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

19 Oct 2025

Newsletter #11

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #11

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

12 Oct 2025

Newsletter #10

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #10

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

5 Oct 2025

Newsletter #9

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #9

Build With Billy AI Newsletter — exploring the fusion of human intelligence with technological possibility.

28 Sept 2025

Newsletter #8

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #8

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

21 Sept 2025

Newsletter #7

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #7

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

14 Sept 2025

Newsletter #6

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #6

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

7 Sept 2025

Newsletter #5

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #5

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

31 Aug 2025

Newsletter #4

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #4

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

24 Aug 2025

Newsletter #3

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #3

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

17 Aug 2025

Newsletter #2

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #2

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

10 Aug 2025

Newsletter #1

Build With Billy AI Newsletter #1

We're exploring the fusion of human intelligence with the technological possibility. We offer simple, no-fluff wisdom & workshops to help creators & inspired people realise their dreams, with AI in th

AI Insights & Tutorials from NZ — Build With Billy Blog