I Built My Mother an AI Study Companion That Still Works Without the Internet

Description and use

FriendForge is a personal AI study companion that uses RAG, active recall, quizzes, and voice explanations, plus a local Gemma 3 4B model for offline learning.

Problem

Retention of daily English words was poor; the learner struggled to recall meanings weeks later.

Outcome

FriendForge enables consistent daily learning with structured revision and offline capability, addressing retention issues and unreliable connectivity.

Workflow

• Upload study material (PDF/TXT)
• Ask questions via React frontend
• Backend routes to Backboard for RAG and memory
• Generate explanations and quizzes
• Optional voice via ElevenLabs
• Switch to Local AI mode using Ollama and Gemma 3 4B for offline conversations

Evidence

For the past three months, my mother has been learning 10 English words every day.

Source

She could learn ten words today, but weeks later, when I used one of those words in conversation, she would sometimes struggle to remember what it meant or how it was used.

Source

FriendForge has two different ways to learn: 🌐 Online Study — Llama through Backboard, with RAG, study memory, quizzes, revision, and ElevenLabs voice. 💻 Local AI — Gemma 3 4B running locally through Ollama, allowing general study conversations without an internet connection once the model is installed.

Source

I tested Gemma 3 4B on my 8 GB RAM laptop using CPU inference.

Source

ElevenLabs successfully generated audio, but the browser refused to play it because my Content Security Policy didn't permit the generated Blob URL.

Source