Parent builds rotary phone that lets her 5-year-old query an AI agent
nwilliams030 · x · 2026-09-16
A parent turned an old rotary phone into an AI-powered Q&A device for her 5-year-old: the kid dials, asks questions, and answers appear on an e-ink Remarkable Paper Pro.
Key design choices:
- The agent is programmed to always cite a source upfront and avoid first-person, so the child understands it's AI retrieving info from the internet, "like a librarian"
- The kid can use the phone freely anytime and see pending questions on a Waveshare e-ink display
- The parent can review the question queue from her phone and fix transcription errors
- The Paper Pro is supervised-only, so they can discuss answers and Socratic follow-ups together
The goal: a low-stimulation way for a curious kid to get answers, alongside books and asking adults.
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