The latest articles on DEV Community by Ashley IA (@ashley_ia_e113af422a18301). https://dev.to/ashley_ia_e113af422a18301 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3989717%2F3747558e-56c8-40b4-8406-2ab80571a38d.jpg https://dev.to/ashley_ia_e113af422a18301 en Ashley IA Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:49:04 +0000 https://dev.to/ashley_ia_e113af422a18301/i-built-ashley-a-reactive-ai-companion-that-lives-on-your-windows-desktop-381k https://dev.to/ashley_ia_e113af422a18301/i-built-ashley-a-reactive-ai-companion-that-lives-on-your-windows-desktop-381k <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwge0ffwslibnnkacucxt.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwge0ffwslibnnkacucxt.png" alt=" " width="799" height="511"></a></p> <p>Hi everyone,</p> <p>I’ve been building <strong>Ashley</strong>, a Windows desktop AI companion designed to feel more present than a normal chatbot.</p> <p>The idea is simple: instead of opening a chat tab, Ashley can stay visible on your screen, talk with you, remember things, react emotionally, and help with real actions on your PC when you allow it.</p> <p>She can open apps, manage windows, control volume, play music, type text, and work with BYOK providers like xAI, OpenRouter, or local Ollama models.</p> <p>Ashley also has a reactive 2D/3D avatar and a small “pet mode” where she can stay on your desktop and react to what you’re doing.</p> <p>The goal is to explore a more personal kind of AI assistant: something that feels less like a tool hidden in a browser tab and more like a useful presence living with you on your computer.</p> <p>I’d really appreciate feedback, especially around privacy, UX, local model support, desktop automation, and what features people would actually want from a desktop AI companion.</p> <p>Project page: <a href="https://ashley-ia.itch.io/ashley-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://ashley-ia.itch.io/ashley-ai</a></p> <p>Thanks for reading!</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpmtzc2adgyc7wtlwmh1y.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpmtzc2adgyc7wtlwmh1y.png" alt=" " width="672" height="1054"></a></p> ai productivity local showdev