What used to take months can now take days with AI. Instead of placing one big bet, businesses and founders have more opportunities to test ideas before deciding what’s worth building.
In this episode of Work Right With Rich, Richard Farmer sits down with AI engineer, entrepreneur, and educator Sherry Jiang to explore how AI is changing the journey from idea to launch.
Drawing on her experience building startups before and after AI, Sherry shares what she’s learned along the way. From moving faster with smaller teams to approaching product development differently, she offers a practical look at how AI is influencing the way businesses build, test and bring products to market.
Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or already experimenting with it, this conversation offers fresh perspectives, practical examples, and plenty to think about.
Key Takeaways
- AI is changing more than how products are built. It’s changing how quickly ideas can be tested, improved and brought to market.
- Faster product development gives founders and small teams more opportunities to experiment before making bigger investments.
- AI adoption looks different for every business. For some, buying the right tools makes more sense than building from scratch.
- Technical skills matter, but understanding customers, making good decisions and solving real problems remain just as valuable.
- Learning AI doesn’t have to start with complicated projects. Start with one business problem and build from there.
- The biggest advantage isn’t simply using AI. It’s knowing how to apply it to the work that matters most.
Episode Chapters
00:00 From six months to six days. How AI is changing product development
03:27 Finding your focus in a fast-moving AI world
06:45 Where SME owners should start with AI
07:45 Build or buy? Choosing the right AI approach
10:33 AI, jobs and the skills that still matter
15:40 Looking ahead. What AI could change over the next few years
21:07 Could AI trigger the next financial bubble?
26:36 The AI tool Sherry keeps coming back to
31:35 The best investment you can make to learn AI
34:24 Where to connect with Sherry
