You're still just prompting.
In AI Residency
Move beyond one-off prompts. Build AI workflows, agents and products that can actually do work for you.
Sri Lanka Chapter
For AI builders who can prompt but can't ship yet
- Start in Sri Lanka meet your people, find a problem & build your first MVP
- Build for 6 weeks master the stack, build with AI & bring your product to life
- Finish in Bangalore take on a real problem, build a solution & pitch to industry leaders
No coding experience is required.
Sri Lanka Chapter Starts 6 Jan 8 Weeks Program
AI Residency: Beyond Vibe Coding
Taught by engineering leaders from companies building with AI
Is this you?
AI Residency is for you, if
You see the opportunity. You can't build it.
In AI Residency
Take a real problem from your work or business and turn it into a working AI product.
AI writes the code. You can't control it.
In AI Residency
Learn enough software development, data, APIs and AI systems to understand what's being built, and confidently debug, change or improve it.
You still depend on a developer.
In AI Residency
Build enough AI and software capability to own your product yourself: tweak it, fix it and evolve it without needing an engineer for every change.
You don't need to become a software developer.
You need to become capable enough to build without depending on one.
The AI Residency journey
Five days in Sri Lanka. Six weeks online. A weekend hackathon in Bangalore.
Day 01
Meet the Cohort
An evening with a technical leader on how building products has changed.
Day 02
Ship a Live Product
Scope a small idea and build it in a pod, live on a real URL by dinner.
Day 03
How the web works, underneath
Where your code actually runs, and how any two pieces of software actually talk to each other.
Day 04
A day without the laptop
A guided day out with the cohort, building relationships that'll last beyond the program.
Day 05
Commit to a Capstone
You commit to a capstone you'll build over the next 6 weeks.
Week 02
How software actually works
Read code and understand what an AI agent built for you. Then what an LLM is, why models hallucinate, and how to choose one for your product.
Week 03
Controlling AI
Prompting, context and structured outputs. Then why vibe coding fails: planning before prompting, reusable skills, and Git so nothing is lost.
Week 04
Idea to working product
Turn your idea into a spec and a design with Claude Design and Google Stitch, then into a running app with Cursor, Claude Code or Codex, backed by a real database. First evaluation.
Week 05
From agents to agent systems
What makes something an agent, when one is worth building, and why agents fail. Then several agents working together, and automations in n8n.
Week 06
Your data, and the outside world
Ground your product in your own documents with citations, connect it to real systems over MCP, and keep it working when an API fails.
Week 07
Prove it, then ship it
Test it with an eval set, protect it against prompt injection and data leaks, then deploy it to a public URL. Final evaluation.
Your capstone
Build something your work actually needs.
One production-grade AI product, built across all eight weeks and deployed live, with your own data, an agent that acts, and a security check before it ships.
Marketing & Growth
Creator Collab Platform
Brands run hundreds of micro-influencer collaborations through DMs and spreadsheets. Build a two-sided platform: creators sign up, get matched to campaigns, submit content, and track payouts, while the brand team reviews, approves, and sees ROI per creator. AI handles matching, content brief generation, and brand-safety checks on every submission.
- Tools
- Google Stitch Claude Code Gemini OpenAI Vector database GitHub
- Ships
- A live platform where creators and a brand team complete one full campaign cycle.
Product & Design
Recipe-to-Cart App
People know what they want to cook, not what to buy. Build a shopping app where users type a dish or upload a photo of one, and AI turns it into a recipe and a ready cart from the store catalogue, adjusted for servings, diet, and budget. The product includes onboarding, saved meal plans, weekly reorders, and an admin panel for the catalogue. Start from a PRD and user journeys, and build a complete working product.
- Tools
- Claude Design Cursor Gemini OpenAI GitHub
- Ships
- A deployed app that goes from “I want to make paneer tikka” to a checked-out cart in under a minute.
Operations
Service Marketplace
Build a mini Urban Company for one city and one category. Customers book, professionals accept and complete jobs, and an ops console handles disputes. A support agent answers from the help centre with citations, and a dispatch agent assigns jobs by location and rating.
- Tools
- Google Stitch Claude Code Vector database GitHub
- Ships
- A live marketplace with booking, dispatch, support, and a full ops console.
Business Owners
D2C Brand / Store
Build a complete D2C storefront: catalogue, cart, checkout, order tracking, and an admin panel for inventory. On top, an AI shopping assistant recommends products from the catalogue, answers order questions from the live database, and processes returns within policy, escalating anything unusual.
- Tools
- Google Stitch Claude Code Cursor Vector database GitHub
- Ships
- A live store where a customer can discover, buy, track, and return with AI in the loop.
Sample capstones from the program, drawn from what businesses in India and Sri Lanka face.
The faculty
Learn from people building with AI every day.
Practitioners working across AI, cloud, machine learning and product engineering, with mentors on the floor during the Bangalore hackathon.
Aditya Rane
AI & ML Technical Solutions Consultant
Microsoft
Deepak Kasera
Senior Engineer, Cloud & AI
Simplismart
Shubhendu Shishir
Head of Engineering
Intuit
Saksham Arora
Backend Engineering Lead, Identity
PayPal
Mohit Uniyal
Senior ML Engineer
Ericsson
Amit Singh
Google Authorized Trainer
Day 1 · The Brief
Understand the Problem
Get the company problem statement, team up, define the scope, and plan your approach.
Day 2 · The Build
Build the solution
Build, test, iterate, and refine your solution with your team.
Day 3 · The Final 5
Present. Connect. Learn.
Teams that shipped, present to the companies. Followed by an AI conference.
How to apply
₹999 to apply.
You pay nothing more unless you're selected.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and seats are limited.
- Step 01
Submit your application
Pay ₹999 (non-refundable) and tell us about your work and what you want to build. This puts you in the review pool.
- Step 02
Applications are reviewed
We look at intent, ambition and whether this is the right environment for what you want to build.
- Step 03
Attend your counselling
A conversation with the team about the program, the commitment and the travel.
- Step 04
Reserve your seat with ₹10,000
Non-refundable, but adjusted against the full program fee. Seats are limited and released in the order they are blocked.
- Step 05
Complete your enrolment
Pay the balance, then onboarding: cohort access, pre-reading, travel and visa guidance.
Programme starts on 6 Jan 2027
The fee
What you put in.
One fee, paid in stages. You pay nothing beyond ₹999 unless you are selected.
₹1,75,000 + GST
₹999 application₹10,000 seat reservationBalance before you start
Included
- Accommodation during the scheduled Sri Lanka and Bangalore stay: shared rooms and all scheduled meals.
- All practitioner and mentor sessions across the eight weeks.
- Templates, resources and learning materials.
Not included
- Travel to Sri Lanka and Bangalore, and commute to the venue.
- Passport and visa costs.
- Model and cloud credits, hosting and APIs during the online phase.
- Laptop and working setup.
The ₹10,000 seat reservation is adjusted against your full program fee. Refunds follow the Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
FAQ
Questions worth answering before you apply.
Are airport transfers included during the residential phases?
No. Travel to and from the residential venues in Srilanka and Bangalore, including airport transfers, is not included in the program fee. You get yourself to the venue; we take it from there.
Who arranges my passport and visa?
You do. A valid passport, supporting documents and compliance with immigration requirements are entirely your responsibility.
Will Masai help me apply for my visa?
No. Indian passport holders are currently eligible for a free 30-day tourist ETA for Sri Lanka, subject to prevailing immigration rules. Masai does not provide visa consultancy, application support or visa guidance. Participants should complete the applicable travel authorisation themselves and check the latest requirements and travel advisories through official Sri Lankan Immigration and Indian Government sources before travelling.
Is accommodation included during the official residential dates?
Yes, during the officially communicated residential dates. Additional nights before or after the program dates are not included.
Can I request a private room?
No, standard accommodation is on a double or triple shared basis.
Can family or friends join me?
They may travel independently, but companions are not included in program accommodation, activities, transport or other arrangements.
Will local transport be provided?
Transport will be arranged for scheduled program activities mentioned in the official itinerary. Personal travel outside the itinerary is not included.
What exactly is the AI Residency program?
AI Residency is a hands on program focused on building with AI, and going a layer under the hood. It is designed to equip you with deeper understanding of how tech products and AI agents work, and equips you to leverage AI more effectively.
Is the program online or offline?
It is a hybrid program. It starts with five day residential experience in Sri Lanka, followed by an online phase and concludes with a 3 Day residential phase in Bangalore, for qualifying participants.
Is this a coding course?
Not in the traditional sense. You are not spending eight weeks memorising syntax. You will learn enough software, AI, data, agents, deployment and security to understand building products & agents in an AI native environments.
Do I need to know how to code before joining?
No prior programming expertise is required. You should, however, be comfortable using technology and willing to get hands-on. By the end, the expectation is not “I can prompt AI,” but “I understand roughly what the code is doing and I understand how to use AI to solve a business problem deeply.”
Is this suitable for non-technical professionals?
Yes. The program is specifically built to help people become more technically capable in an AI-first world. You do not need to become a traditional software engineer, but you should expect to work more closely on technical solutions and products.
I already know some coding. Will the program still be useful?
Yes. The emphasis is broader than coding: AI-assisted development, model choice, agents, RAG, system design, integrations, evaluation, security and shipping a usable product.
Does the program guarantee a job?
No. The program builds technical capability, product-building experience and real-world exposure that can strengthen your broader career readiness.
Is this only useful if I want to become an AI Product Engineer?
No. The skills are broader than one job title. Understanding AI systems, software, agents, data, deployment and product building can be useful across technology, product, entrepreneurship and other AI-enabled roles.
What happens during the Sri Lanka residential phase?
Five days of workshops, building, technical sessions, cohort activities and networking. You begin by understanding what can now be built with AI and leave with the problem and build direction you will carry into the following weeks.
Does everyone join the Bangalore phase of the program?
No. The participation in the Bangalore leg of the program is subject to a minimum qualification criteria. All participants who qualify the criteria are eligible for the Bangalore phase. The criteria is linked here.
Do I need to submit medical information before travelling?
Yes. A Medical Fitness Certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner is mandatory before the residential phase. It helps confirm that you are fit to participate and ensures any relevant medical needs are disclosed in advance. Any medical consultation, treatment, medication, hospitalisation or related expenses incurred during the residential phase will be borne by the participant and not covered in the program fees.
Do I need travel or medical insurance?
Yes. You must arrange suitable travel and medical insurance before travelling and is not covered in the program fee.
What food options will be available during the residential phase?
Meals will follow a pre-defined menu, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available. Any special meal requirements outside the standard menu will need to be arranged and managed by the participant at their own expense.
Does everyone attend the final residential phase in Bangalore?
The final residential phase in Bangalore is for learners who meet the required progression criteria during the online phase: a minimum overall score of 45% across all evaluations and at least 65% attendance, including both live and recorded learning components.
Will I get time to explore during the residential phase?
The official schedule will be structured and intensive. Any free time outside it is yours to use independently and at your own expense.
Do I need a technical degree?
No technical degree is a pre-requisite. Selection is based more on fit, intent, willingness to build and your ability to commit to the program.
I have never built an app before. Can I still join?
Yes. That is a perfectly reasonable starting point. What matters is that you are willing to learn how software works instead of expecting AI to remain a mysterious button that produces code.
Are paid AI tools, cloud credits or subscriptions included?
No. Any paid AI tools, APIs, cloud credits or software subscriptions required for your build must be arranged and paid for by you.
Will I actually build a working product?
Yes. The program is built around shipping, not just understanding concepts. By the end of the learning phase, you are expected to have a product deployed to the internet that you can explain technically.
Do I need my own laptop?
Yes. Bring a personal laptop capable of running the required development environments and program tools.
Who should apply?
People who want to move beyond using AI tools and start building with them. It is especially relevant if you have ideas you cannot currently build, use AI-generated code without fully understanding it, or have built prototypes that haven't yet run in production.
Will Masai build my product for me?
No. AI may be your copilot, mentors may help unblock you, but the keyboard still belongs to you. The program gives you structure, instruction, feedback and support; you are responsible for the actual build.
What kind of AI tools will we use?
The curriculum covers modern AI development workflows and tools such as AI coding agents, model platforms, automation tools and AI infrastructure. Specific tools may evolve as the ecosystem changes, the capability matters more than memorising one tool.
Will I learn agents or just prompting?
Agents are a significant part of the program. You progress from controlling model outputs to building agents, multi-agent workflows, automation and systems that interact with real data and external services.
Will I learn RAG and vector databases?
Yes. You will learn how AI applications can answer using your own data through retrieval, embeddings and vector databases rather than relying only on what the underlying model already knows.
Will deployment be covered?
Yes. You will move from local development to a publicly accessible deployment, including hosting, environment variables, secrets, logs and common production issues.
Application window open Apply Now
Can you build it, and explain how it works?
Eight weeks. One product, live on the internet, built by you.
Starts 6th Jan 2027. Every application is reviewed personally.