This is a submission for the Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 4: Ghost in the Machine
What I Built
"Recuerdo Local" is a private, offline digital ofrenda (altar) builder. It helps families craft beautiful, poetic remembrances for their loved ones. Users input simple, fragmented memories—a favorite song, a cherished recipe, a specific habit—and the application weaves them into a heartfelt tribute to display on a digital altar.
I leaned into the Día de los Muertos theme, focusing on how we carry the stories of the past with us and keeping those memories alive in the present.
Demo
(Note: Record a brief Loom video showing you typing in memories and the AI generating the tribute, then paste the link or embed it here.)
Code
How I Built It
I built this using Gemma (Google's open-weight model), running completely locally via Ollama. The backend is powered by Python and FastAPI, which serves a lightweight HTML/TailwindCSS frontend.
The application takes the user's raw, bulleted memories and passes them to Gemma with a specific system prompt instructing it to act as an empathetic, poetic storyteller. Because it runs inference locally, the AI requires zero internet connection to function.
Why Does Open Innovation Matter?
When writing about passed loved ones, privacy is paramount. People are rightfully hesitant to send intimate family stories, grief, and personal memories to a closed-source corporate API where it might be logged, reviewed, or used for future model training.
By building on an open-weight model, "Recuerdo Local" guarantees that these precious family memories never leave the user's machine. The open-based approach enables a safe, offline, and completely private space for reflection that a closed API simply cannot offer.
My Agent Session
(Note: If you used an AI coding agent, link your DevRelay session here. Otherwise, you can remove this section.)
The Spirit of It
Día de los Muertos is about keeping memories alive so that those who have passed are never truly gone. I built this because it is often hard to find the right words when experiencing loss. Seeing a local model instantly weave simple details—like the smell of a grandfather's morning coffee and the sound of his favorite radio station—into a dignified, beautiful tribute gave me chills. It preserves the story without compromising the family's privacy.
Prize Categories
- Best Use of Gemma
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