ai Smith pdx · Practical AI · Portland, OR & online

AI that actually works for your business — without the hype.

I'm Alex Smith, founder of ai Smith pdx — Portland's practical AI shop. I help people and small businesses put AI to work through hands-on consulting, 1:1 learning, and custom websites, apps, and platforms built with AI.

30+ yrsengineering & infrastructure
10 daysidea → iOS app in the App Store
Apps liveApple, Google & coming to Microsoft
What I do

Three ways to put AI to work

Pick what fits — get expert advice, have it built for you, or learn hands-on with me.

💬

AI Consulting

Practical guidance to find where AI saves you time and money — then a plan to actually do it.

  • AI readiness & use-case discovery
  • Tool selection & setup
  • Workflow & automation design

Build with AI

Need it done? I design and build websites, apps, and full platforms using AI — fast.

  • Marketing sites & landing pages
  • Web & mobile apps
  • Custom business platforms
🎓

Learn by Building

Want to build it yourself? I'll teach you hands-on, 1:1, while we work through a real project of yours — at your pace.

  • 1:1, on your actual project
  • Real tools — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Copilot
  • Learn by doing, not slides
Proof, not theory

I build the things I teach

The fastest way I learned AI was by shipping real products with it. Here's one.

SteadyAfter50 logo

Two wellness apps, built with AI

Steady After 50 and Steady Move are both live on the Apple App Store and Google Play — designed, built, and shipped using AI tools.

Built with AI
idea to store
How I work

Clear, safe, and completely yours

You see a real, live preview before anything goes public — and your site, code, and Supabase zone stay isolated from every other client. I build with sample data only — real customer data never enters my studio.

Launching a website for a customer Six steps: Kickoff, Build on a branch, Share preview link, Customer reviews, Revise, Launch in their zone. Launching a website for a customer The same repeatable process every time — you see a live preview before anything goes public. 1 Kickoff 2 Build on a branch 3 Share preview link 4 Customer reviews 5 Revise 6 Launch intheir zone feedback loop Then: handoff & ongoing care. Their site = their repo, their Supabase zone — fully theirs.

Every project follows the same path — and you review a private preview link before launch.

How every project stays completely separate Each project is its own zone — own repo, Vercel project, and Supabase database. I build with sample data only — real customer data never enters my studio. How every project stays completely separate Each project is its own zone — own repo, Vercel project, and Supabase database. Sample data only; no shared client data. GitHub repo (the code) Vercel project (hosting + builds) Supabase (database + storage) Zone (Supabase org) ai Smith pdx isolated project ai-smith repo Vercel + env vars Supabase own DB + keys ai Smith pdx zone Customer A isolated project customer-a repo Vercel + env vars Supabase own DB + keys Customer A zone Customer B isolated project customer-b repo Vercel + env vars Supabase own DB + keys Customer B zone Separate keys + Row-Level Security mean one customer's data can never reach another's. Delete a project and only that project is gone.

Your own repo, Vercel project, and Supabase zone. I build with sample data only — your real data never lives in my studio.

Alex Smith, founder of ai Smith pdx
About

Hi, I'm Alex.

Founder · ai Smith pdx

After 30+ years engineering networks and infrastructure for large organizations, I went all-in on building with AI — and launched ai Smith pdx right here in Portland.

That experience taught me how real systems work under pressure — and AI taught me how fast a person can now turn an idea into something real. I bring both to the table: practical, no-hype help for people and small businesses who want to actually use these tools.

Whether you want to learn it, get advice, or have something built, I'd love to help. ai Smith pdx is based in Portland, OR — working with clients in person locally and everywhere over Zoom.

Let's talk
Get started

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Tell me a little about what you're after and I'll get back to you within a day.

Quick question? Use Smithy (chat, bottom-right). Project or intro call? Use this form.

Portland, OR · and online

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