Why this matters

In just the past year at NITM, we helped relaunch products in mental health and relationship health, and we built new partnerships that genuinely expand what we can deliver for clients. We also had the chance to panel at AcceleratorCon 2025, which was a great reminder that a lot of people are trying to make sense of the same shift we’re living through.

The big shift is not only what we’re building, but how we’re building it.

Over the last year, we’ve had to multiply our efforts to get comfortable with AI-assisted development. What started as “vibe-coding” quickly devolved into something that, initially, wasn’t sustainable. This meant really diving in and not doing things half assedly. In practice, this means keeping up with model releases across OpenAI, Claude, DeepSeek, and others, while also adapting to a new generation of tooling in editors like Cursor and VS Code that keeps improving almost monthly. Constantly.

A quick note on NITM and AI

We’ve been in the AI space since 2014.

Not in the “publish research papers” way, but in the “use what works in real products” way.

We started with Stanford NLP libraries, moved into chatbot work (including Dialogflow-era builds), experimented with neural networks, and shipped projects using tools like TensorFlow and other ML libraries along the way. The lesson that stuck is simple: we’re not researchers, but we’re pretty good at applying AI in the real world, where constraints, timelines, users, and budgets are very real.

What we learned the hard way

With all these new tools comes an uncomfortable realization: it has become extremely easy to burn yourself out in the name of productivity.

We’re used to change. We are not used to change at this pace.

Tasks that used to take days or weeks can now happen in a fraction of the time. Our planning, development, and iteration timeline has compressed by at least 50 percent.

A concrete example: in the new Blackfullness application, we implemented a comprehensive notification system in under a week from concept to implementation. That same scope used to feel like weeks to a month. We delivered it in roughly a quarter of the time.

And yes, that is the promise of AI showing up in the real world.

But here’s the twist: we felt more tired.

Not because the work got harder, but because we were processing more information, making more decisions, and moving faster, all in a shorter period of time. That “compression” shows up in your body and brain, even if the output looks great on paper.

If the AI era is about speed, then the next skill we all need is sustainable speed.

But there is a real opportunity here

AI, the economy, and the nature of work are shifting quickly. That kind of shift can be scary, but it is also historically how new doors open.

We’ve seen this pattern before, just with different technology: fire, tools, the steam engine, the internet. Each wave changes what is possible, and it changes who gets to build.

From where we sit, the path to market is easier than it has ever been.

An MVP is no longer the massive obstacle it used to be. It’s an opportunity to test, validate, and adjust quickly, especially if you have real expertise in an industry and a clear problem to solve. The speed of technology has shortened the timeline to validation.

Suddenly, launching a side-hustle startup, or even just pressure-testing a serious idea, is not as daunting as it was a year ago.

So, what are we really trying to say?

As we reflect on 2025 and look forward to 2026, our biggest piece of advice is simple:

Take better care of yourself.

Use AI. Enjoy the productivity improvements. Use the new tools. Ship faster. Test more ideas. Build those niche solutions that remove friction, solve real problems, and give time back.

Then protect that time you just earned.

Use it to rest. Use it to be with friends and family. Use it to reset your brain before you jump back in to serve customers and teammates at a high level.

The goal is not maximum output. The goal is a pace you can maintain.

What’s next for NITM

We’re excited about 2026. Here’s a small preview of what’s coming:

Client and partner work

• Continuing to build and launch with our clients and partners
• We will be helping Blackfullness build out useful functionality to support positive mental health outcomes for users from underserved cultures
• We will be helping CHIP Professionals build out their financial journey dashboard to assist and guide you through your growth, purchases, and investments
• We’re helping NapX shake up the short-stay and visitor management ecosystem for boutique hotels and hospitality networks
• and more

Internal projects

• Early testing and refinement for LEBRA: https://letsberealabout.us 
• Launching Nuturo, our AI education platform for parents, children, and educators to collaboratively use AI for good
• Beginning work on a stealth project focused on Caribbean commerce and local discovery
• Launching NITM educational content under the IdeaToReality brand

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a strong start to the new year.

Further reading

• AcceleratorCon recap: https://ninjasitm.com/posts/nitm-acceleratorcon-2025 
• Blackfullness: https://blackfullness.com 
• LEBRA: https://letsberealabout.us
• AI gains are not always universal: https://www.reuters.com/business/ai-slows-down-some-experienced-software-developers-study-finds-2025-07-10 
• Learn more about burnout here: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases 
• Read OpenAI's time earned report: https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/7ef17d82-96bf-4dd1-9df2-228f7f377a29/the-state-of-enterprise-ai_2025-report.pdf