My grandmother forgot who I was. So I built something inspired by Black Mirror.

I don’t know my great-great-great-grandfather’s name. I’ve never seen his face, heard his voice, or known what kind of person he was. He lived a full life—and now there’s almost nothing left of it.

That’s not unusual. It’s how most people are eventually forgotten.

I didn’t really think about that until my grandmother got dementia.

It didn’t happen slowly like people say. One day she just… wasn’t there anymore. My family lived thousands of miles away, so most of the time we saw her through FaceTime. I remember calls where she’d pick up and just stare, confused. Sometimes she didn’t recognize my mom—her own daughter.

Watching that happen was painful, but what stayed with me even more was everything we were losing with her. Stories about my mom growing up. Family history no one else knew. Small details that only she could remember. There was no moment where we realized, “this is the last time we can ask.” The stories just disappeared.

When she passed, some of them went with her forever.

Around that time, I watched an episode of Black Mirror called Eulogy. It’s one of the rare episodes where technology isn’t dystopian. An AI helps guide someone through their memories—not replacing them, just walking alongside them.

That idea stuck with me.

What if we had something like that—but in real life? Something that helps people tell their stories before it’s too late.

So I built Living Memory.

You take an old photo—a print, a Polaroid, something sitting in a shoebox—and hold it up to your camera. An AI companion named EVA (powered by Google Gemini) looks at it with you and starts a conversation. She asks questions, you answer, and over time those memories turn into a narrated story—written, voiced, and saved.

Not just a photo gallery. A story, told in your own words.

I keep thinking about this: I’ll never know my great-great-great-grandfather. But one day, someone down the line is going to wonder the same thing about me.

Who was he? What did he care about?

With Living Memory, they won’t have to guess. They’ll be able to hear it.

Because one day, it’s going to be you in that photo—and the only question is whether your story is still there.

TLDR: Lost my grandmother to dementia before we could capture her stories. Built an AI companion (EVA) that turns old photos into narrated family stories—in your voice, forever.

Would love to hear your thoughts — is this something you'd actually use for your family?
https://devpost.com/software/living-memory-ptn283