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Run your AI subscription 24 hours a day — use the quota you already pay for
The author initially feared artificial intelligence development because AI can work incessantly without labor laws, unlike humans. This capability fundamentally changes the speed of work, creating a widening gap between companies that leverage AI continuously and those that do not. Companies with significant financial resources can acquire more AI capabilities and compute power, allowing them to develop at an accelerated pace. This creates a competitive disadvantage for smaller companies that cannot match the financial investment. However, the author discovered that small companies possess a valuable, underutilized resource: their monthly subscription quotas for AI services.By optimizing the use of these pre-paid quotas, small businesses can effectively run AI development around the clock, matching the continuous operation of larger competitors. This strategy is analogous to historical industrial advancements where increased operating hours led to competitive advantages. The author developed an AI development orchestrator, local-commander, to manage this 24-hour workflow. This system uses a local large language model for initial judgment and sorting of tasks.Tasks are triaged into those that can be done locally, those requiring cloud services, and those needing human approval. This local judgment is faster and cheaper, preserving resources and preventing mistakes from accumulating overnight. The system automates many development steps, pausing only for human approval at the end of the day. This approach ensures that the AI's relentless nature is harnessed effectively, turning a source of fear into a strategic advantage for smaller companies. The key is structure and careful planning, not just relying on brute force or grit.