The latest articles on DEV Community by Eric Tuyishime (@eric_tuyishime). https://dev.to/eric_tuyishime 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%2F4196713%2Fb21bafae-f769-4e87-b6d7-5556c959f1ba.png https://dev.to/eric_tuyishime en Eric Tuyishime Fri, 23 Oct 2026 21:39:35 +0000 https://dev.to/eric_tuyishime/plainspeak-understand-everyday-paperwork-with-local-ai-i45 https://dev.to/eric_tuyishime/plainspeak-understand-everyday-paperwork-with-local-ai-i45 <p><em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/hacktoberfest-week3-2026-10-19">Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady</a>.</em></p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p>PlainSpeak helps people understand everyday paperwork without rereading dense paragraphs. You can paste text, open a plain text file, or try the fictional appointment-letter sample. The app uses AI to explain the document in simpler language and point out details such as dates, locations, and actions.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/7FTC_TPzTn8" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://youtu.be/7FTC_TPzTn8</a></p> <p>The video shows the setup guide, a fictional appointment notice, and the explanation produced by PlainSpeak.</p> <h2> Code </h2> <p><a href="https://github.com/blair-cloud/PlainSpeak" rel="noopener noreferrer">PlainSpeak on GitHub</a></p> <h2> How I Built It </h2> <p>PlainSpeak is a browser app that uses the open-weight Gemma 3:1B model through Ollama running locally. The user provides a notice, and the app displays the model’s plain-language explanation alongside the original text.</p> <h2> Why Does Open Innovation Matter? </h2> <p>Running Gemma locally gives users more control over how the tool works. In the local Ollama setup, the document is processed on the user’s computer instead of being sent to a hosted AI model API. The project’s code is available for people to inspect and adapt.</p> <h2> The Lazy Payoff </h2> <p>Instead of repeatedly searching a long notice for the important details, a user can start with a short explanation and check it against the original. PlainSpeak aims to make routine paperwork easier to get through.</p> <h2> Prize Categories </h2> <ul> <li>Best Use of Gemma</li> </ul> devchallenge hf26challenge