How I Built a Risk Calculator in 3 Minutes with AI

How Long Would Your Business Survive Without IT?

Last week, I fell down the vibe coding rabbit hole. Actually, it was not a very deep rabbit hole because it was so simple and intuitive.

If you haven’t heard the term, vibe coding is what happens when you don’t actually know how to code — but you describe what you want, and AI makes it happen.

It’s “coding by feel,” not syntax. And it’s going to change everything.

So I decided to try it myself.

I wanted to build something that seemed easy but is typically listed as a premium product.

My project was an MSP calculator. Just something that business decision makers may be interested in using. So here's what ChatGPT and I built.

Disclaimer:

This calculator is provided for informational and illustrative purposes only. The results are based on industry averages and simplified assumptions and should not be considered a substitute for a professional risk assessment or cybersecurity audit. Actual downtime costs and recovery times may vary significantly based on your specific environment. Use at your own discretion.

And here are the prompts that got me to this result. To generate this calculator took under 4 minutes!

Calculator disclaimer:

How I Made It (The 5 Prompts That Built This Tool)

This wasn’t magic. It was just structured curiosity + fast iteration. Here’s the prompt chain I used to build this.

Prompt 1: Start with the idea

“I want to create a simple but impressive calculator or quiz that’s useful to business owners. Something related to IT, cybersecurity, or operations — with sliders or dynamic inputs. Any ideas?”

AI gave me 5 great concepts. I picked the “Downtime Survival Calculator.”

Prompt 2: Ground it in real data

“Let’s go with the Downtime Survival Calculator. But I want all variables to be based on real studies, industry averages, or expert sources. Can you provide estimates and references for downtime cost, recovery time, and related metrics?”

It pulled values like:

• $8,000/hour average SMB downtime

• Cyberattacks cause 2–3x longer outages

• Backup testing and failover systems drastically reduce risk

Prompt 3: Build the thing

“Now give me a first version of the calculator in HTML and JavaScript…”

I had a fully working tool — in plain HTML — complete with inputs and a survivability score in under 60 seconds.

Prompt 4: Make it human-friendly

“Let’s clean up the look and add explanation text so people understand each variable.”

It polished the layout, added help text, and explained the source behind every input.

Prompt 5: Add realism

“What about different causes of downtime? Like a cyberattack versus a power outage?”

AI added a dropdown with severity multipliers and logic to adjust the output.

The Crazy Part

According to ChatGPT, a calculator like this would’ve taken:

• A human coder: ~4–6 hours minimum

• A freelancer: ~$300–$800

• A software team: Maybe a day or two

I built it in under 3 minutes using natural language.

I don’t know JavaScript. I don’t build apps. But I do know how to ask questions and refine answers.

That’s the game now.

Final Thought

This isn’t about showing off a fun tool (though feel free to use it). It’s about recognizing how fast the world is changing. Tools like this were once premium products. Now they’re prompts.

If you’re running a business — especially one that relies on technology — your ability to adapt to this shift is your real survivability score.

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this communication is intended for limited use for informational purposes only. It is not considered professional advice, and instead, is general information that may or may not apply to specific situations. Each case is unique and should be evaluated on its own by a professional qualified to provide advice specifically intended to protect your individual situation. Kosh is not liable for improper use of this information.