The Non-Technical Playbook for Breaking Into AI

For the last 3 months, I’ve been intensely testing various AI products. The impact is real. Unlike blockchain, which I researched and invested in for years, AI delivers immediate, tangible value.

This got me thinking about a career switch. How can someone with a business background (not technical) get on this rocket?

1. The “Builder” Illusion

AI makes you feel like you can be a builder. You’re likely not.

Even without coding skills, you can now build an agent, a website, or an app fairly easily.

But: a non-technical person is unlikely to build a scalable, enterprise-grade product using just AI. Your product stays at the prototype stage.

You can use it to communicate with engineers and designers, which improves efficiency. You can build small tools or workflows for yourself.

But you can’t scale.

2. You don’t need to learn to code. You need AI literacy.

For a non-tech person to enter the industry, deep technical skills aren’t necessary.

AI literacy, however, is critical. It means having the knowledge, skills, and critical awareness to effectively and responsibly interact with AI technologies.

Simply put: Know what AI can do, and know where its limitations are.

How to get AI literacy:

1. The Theory: Watch Andrej Karpathy’s Intro to Large Language Models. It is 3+ hours long, but it is the BEST resource to understand LLMs. Non-techies can follow it.

2. The Practice: Be a power user. Constantly try new products and follow what builders are doing. Integrate AI into your daily workflow and use it to solve your own real-world problems.

3. Be an AI-Literate “Seller”

Naval Ravikant says there are two types of jobs: Builders and Sellers.

Since it’s hard for us to be true Builders, our opportunity lies in being Sellers with AI Literacy.

To me, a “Seller” is anyone whose work sits close to the user. Your job is to make users understand the product’s value. This includes:

• B2B SaaS Sales

• Go-to-market (GTM)

• Product Marketing

• Marketing

• Growth

• PR / Communications

• Product Management

• and so on…

These roles are important and suitable for non-tech people.

4. Make yourself visible

Once you know what you want to do, amplify your chances of being discovered.

• If you have sales experience but no AI experience: Build some AI products yourself. Ship them on X and LinkedIn. Let your work speak for you. X is the AI playground right now. Many AI founders and recruiters are very active on X, often responding to DMs, sometimes even making offers.

• If you lack both types of experience: You need to prove you can sell. The most direct proof nowadays is building an audience. Show that you know how to acquire users. If you look at Growth people in Silicon Valley, they are all extremely active on social media.

5. Then, Focus.

This is the hardest part.

With AI, it’s tempting to try building everything yourself. I’ve fallen down many rabbit holes and lost track of time. Building things with AI can also feel like scrolling short videos. It delivers a strong dopamine hit when you achieve something.

But precisely because there’s so much to learn, knowing what NOT to learn is just as important.

Focus lets you go deep in your chosen field. Focus lets your audience and recruiters understand who you are and what you actually do.