AI Leveraging Expert
I build products end to end.
I work across product and engineering: define scope, design UX, implement integrations, launch, and iterate using real product signals.
Focus
Where I Am Most Useful
Best fit: teams that need product strategy and hands-on execution in the same person.
- Startup to enterprise teams
- User-facing AI workflows
- Unscoped discovery to scoped execution
- PM + engineering bridge
- Activation and retention metrics
I can step in before scope exists: clarify user and business goals, define the right first release, and own delivery through launch and iteration.
Delivery
What You Get
Working pattern: define scope, ship quickly, measure behavior, and improve.
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Shipped Software
Working product in users' hands, not only plans.
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Product Clarity
Clear requirements, tradeoffs, and execution plan.
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AI UX Defaults
Structured outputs, clear failure handling, and guardrails.
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Iteration Loop
Instrumentation and feedback wired for fast decisions.
Selected Work
Featured Projects
A cross-section of shipped work: AI coaching products, assistant UX, and execution systems.
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liveApp Store Live
2026
Bonzen
AI-native meditation app on iOS that adapts each session to how users actually feel in the moment.
- iOS
- Swift
- AI/ML
- Product Design
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Art Projects
Technology, Humanity, and Meaning
I also build exploratory software at the intersection of AI, behavior, and human meaning.
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live2026
Tamamon
A tamagotchi-inspired companion exploring how nurture loops can create real emotional attachment to digital creatures.
- Astro
- TypeScript
- Stateful simulation
- CSS animation
- Interaction design
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live2026
Horse Herd Simulator
2D overhead herd simulation where local horse rules create natural moving formations across open green plains.
- Astro
- TypeScript
- Canvas 2D
- Agent-based simulation
- Emergence systems
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live2026
Divine Machine
Interactive art project framing LLM behavior as modern divination: experiential randomness emerging from deterministic machinery.
- Astro
- TypeScript
- Deterministic RNG
- Generative SVG
- Interaction Design
Tamamon, Horse Herd Simulator, and Divine Machine are exploratory projects focused on behavior, emergence, and human meaning.
See More ProjectsAI Philosophy
Highlighted Notes
Core essays I want to be known for: clear thinking on intelligence, emergence, and practical AI interpretation.
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Oli Cheng 3 min read PhilosophyRevisiting Searle's Chinese Room in 2026
A practical philosophical stance on AI anthropomorphism, Turing-style behavior tests, and what they do and do not prove.
- Philosophy
- Anthropomorphism
- Turing Test
- AI Strategy
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Oli Cheng 2 min read FoundationsWhy LLMs Remind Me of Pinball
A token falls through a weighted machine: guided, partly stochastic, mathematically rigid, and still hard to predict path-by-path.
- LLMs
- Mental Models
- Systems Thinking
- Product
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Oli Cheng 2 min read PhilosophyEmergence in the Plains: Horse Herds, LLMs, and the Consciousness Question
What an overhead horse herd simulator reveals about local rules, global patterns, and why coherent behavior can appear without a central controller.
- Emergence
- Consciousness
- Simulation
- LLMs
Writing
Recent Notes
Notes on AI product strategy, engineering decisions, and shipping lessons.
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Oli Cheng 8 min read Build LogHow I Built a Browser-Based Daily Recruiting Agent
A scrubbed look at the daily agent I use to triage recruiter outreach, check LinkedIn leads, avoid scheduling conflicts, and reduce the mental load of job-search inbox work.
- Agents
- Claude
- Recruiting
- Automation
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Oli Cheng 8 min read AI PlatformsAnthropic vs OpenAI Right Now: Technical Depth vs Generalist Reach
As of April 28, 2026, both companies can do a lot. The more interesting difference is where each seems to think the center of the product universe is: Anthropic around technical workflows and OpenAI around a broad general assistant, especially voice and multimodal surfaces.
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- AI Platforms
- Voice
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Oli Cheng 7 min read Product StrategyThe New Hybrid Roles AI Teams Actually Need
AI teams increasingly need hybrids who can move between product judgment, implementation reality, and operator-level AI workflow design. This is why PM/engineer-type roles matter more now.
- AI Product
- Product Management
- AI Engineering
- Hybrid Roles
About
Short Snapshot
I work at the product-engineering boundary and can own delivery from idea to production.
How I Help
Define the scope, ship the feature, and run the post-launch iteration loop.
Background
Previously: Unyte, SmartHalo, Esper, IBM. Current focus: Bonzen and other user-facing AI products.
Engagement
Unscoped discovery, scoped builds, and part-time PM + engineering support.
