How we use AI

I'm Torrin Leonard, and I run Builderloo by myself. I use AI to do work that a team would otherwise do. It writes first drafts, sorts what the site collects each day, and checks facts. I decide what Builderloo writes about, and I answer for everything on the site, including the mistakes.

This page explains what AI does in each part of the site, what I do myself, and what I never let it do.

Stories

I record each interview or event, and the recording is turned into a written transcript. Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, writes a first draft from the transcript and my notes. I then rewrite the draft. I cut sections, add my own parts, and change the wording so it reads the way I would tell it.

• Every quote comes from the recording. The only changes I make to a quote are small cuts, such as removing "um".

• When I interview someone, they read the story before it is published and can ask for changes.

• I only include what people said on the record.

• Every photo in a story is a real photo. I took it, or the people in the story gave it to me.

The Weekly

I write The Weekly from what was added to Builderloo that week. That includes new jobs, new companies, news, events and forum posts. Claude reads that week's items and the past issues, and writes one to three sentences about each item. It also searches the web to find the date each funding story was first announced.

Before I see the draft, the site's code checks it. Every number in the draft has to match the item it describes, and every link has to point to that item. I then read and edit the whole issue and decide what goes out. No issue is sent without me.

News, events and jobs

The site collects these lists on its own. Every day, its software reads news sites, event calendars and job boards. An AI model called Jev, which I use through a service called OpenRouter, answers yes or no questions about each item. For example, it answers "Is this event held in Waterloo Region?" and "Is this story about this company?". Its answers decide which items appear on the site, and which companies each story or event is linked to.

I don't review every item before it appears. I check a sample of them, and the site emails me when its counts change in ways that suggest a mistake. I can hide any item. These lists will sometimes include an item that doesn't belong, or leave out one that does, so please tell me when you see one.

AI is never used to rewrite any content from these items. I format them to fit the style of the site and filter them to fit the interests of Builderloo's readers.

The directory

The list of startups comes from what companies publish about themselves, on startup hub listings, on their own websites and in news coverage. Jev reads each company's website and answers questions about it. It decides whether the company makes its own technology product, which tags describe it, and which names on its team page belong to its founders. Some of these answers decide whether a company is listed at all.

I can change any listing, and so can the owner of a company who has claimed its listing. If either of us changes something, such as a company's name or whether it is listed, the software never changes it back on a later run.

Jev also tags jobs, events, forum posts and stories with the fields they are about, such as Design, Software or Hardware, so you can filter by field.

Claude researched each hub, fund and service from that organization's own website, and noted the page behind every sentence. I read and approved each one before it was published.

I also use Claude to help me write the site's code, and to find and fix mistakes in the listings, such as a company listed under its web address instead of its name. To do this, it reads the site's database, which includes the email addresses of people with accounts.

The forum and your account

People write every forum post and comment. I don't use AI to post, comment or vote, and no account on the forum is run by AI. When someone writes a new post, Jev reads it only to tag its field.

Search on Builderloo matches the words you type. It doesn't use AI.

What I never do

• I never make up a quote or claim someone said something they didn't.

• I never use AI to make or change a photo and show it as real.

• I never publish a story or an issue of The Weekly that I haven't read and edited.

• I never blame the AI. A mistake on Builderloo is mine, and I, Torrin, will fix it.

The tools

Builderloo uses two AI tools.

Claude, made by Anthropic, drafts stories and The Weekly, and helps me with the site's code and data. It receives interview transcripts, each week's public items, and parts of the site's database.

Jev, which I use through OpenRouter, sorts the news, events, jobs and directory, and tags each item's fields. It receives the public text of each item it answers questions about, such as a company's web page, a story, an event, a job posting or a forum post.

The privacy policy lists every service that handles personal information.

Found a mistake?

Email me at hello@builderloo.ca or use the contact form. If you run a listed company, you can claim your listing and fix it yourself. When I correct a mistake in a story or in The Weekly, I add a note that says what changed.

Your own AI

You can also connect your own AI assistant to Builderloo's directory, news, events and jobs through the MCP server. It reads the same public information you see on the site.

Changes

AI tools change quickly, and so will how I use them. When I change how I use AI, I'll update this page and the date at the top.