I hate AI side projects
dylancastillo.co
February 20, 2026
2 min read
Summary
AI technology allows anyone to create and share projects, leading to both positive learning experiences and challenges. Personal experiences include deploying web apps, running Python in browsers, gaining clients from viral projects, and enjoying the creative process.
Key Takeaways
- The author expresses frustration with the oversaturation of AI side projects, feeling that many contributions lack uniqueness and quality.
- The author acknowledges that while they continue to work on side projects, they dread sharing them due to the low signal-to-noise ratio in the AI space.
- Despite the challenges, the author remains optimistic about AI and appreciates its positive impact on their work.
- The author reflects on their own contributions to the "AI slop pile" and recognizes the need for more meaningful engagement with AI-generated content.
Community Sentiment
MixedPositives
- The influx of AI side projects is raising the bar for what is considered noteworthy, potentially leading to more innovative and exciting developments in the future.
- There is a growing demand for transparency in AI-generated projects, as sharing prompts could enhance discussions and insights into the creative process behind the outputs.
Concerns
- Many AI side projects are perceived as low-effort, diluting the quality of submissions and making it harder for truly innovative ideas to stand out.
- The current trend in AI projects is seen as exacerbating existing issues in the software community, where poor taste in software is prevalent among engineers.
Source
dylancastillo.co
Published
February 20, 2026
Reading Time
2 minutes
Relevance Score
47/100
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