I think I just experienced a little bit of the future.
Using AI to create some stupid useful app
So I want to learn Japanese Hiragana, and I want to do it on my phone.
I even know how I want to learn it: I want an app that starts with just a few characters and adds more as I master them.
But here's the thing: I'm so tired of apps collecting data, of being one thing and changing into another. There's no way I'm going to pay for this app if I can't completely own it, and I really just don't want yet another company harvesting information for who knows what purpose.
I've used AI in more complex situations, and it has always failed miserably
Whenever I've used Claude in specific, complex scenarios, it's always failed miserably- and regrettably, has been convincing about it. Claude and ChatGPT are the ultimate confidence men. I've had whole days lost trying suggested solution after suggested solution - and then in the end, just reading the f-manual.
But this Hiragana app: It's simple! I could have written it in junior high school.
Claude succeeds!
Well, mostly.
It couldn't get the voice recognition working, and it entered an infinite loop trying to fix an Info.plist bug.
But aside from that, it did great- emojis and all.
I guess that sounds about right for a 13 year old.
Cost
So I spent six dollars, paying for Claude via Anthropic. I would guess $1 of that was for the infinite Info.plist bug. And $2 was the voice recognition which doesn't work.
But, I really don't care about voice recognition - it would be cool, but, come on - really?!?
Final product
It's not great. I might spend $1 more on it, just to fix some flow issues and remove the voice recognition button.
But it works! No data collection! No scammy company! I'm using it to learn Hiragana!
Final thoughts
Please, oh please get Linux running on my old iPhone 5s. Not Android. I hear the word Android and I think "be evil." And when I say "get running," I don't mean, "walk on this tightrope and and make a deal with the devil."
If Linux runs on my favorite iPhone, making calls and accessing data, I might never need to buy another app again. I'd write them with AI! Make everything GPL!
And when a good enough AI runs locally, I'll never use Claude again!
Code for Kana can be found here:
git/Kana