Ai as a personal assistant for people with developmental challenges (working memory )

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Hello, my name is Brian . I’m reaching out to share my personal experience and a vision for how your program—or one inspired by it—could profoundly impact people like me on a daily basis.

I was diagnosed with ADHD, which I believe should be called Executive Function Spectrum Disorder (EFSD), and autism (ASD) about a year and a half ago at the age of 46. For most of my life, I didn’t even know I had these conditions. Now that I understand how pervasive they’ve been in shaping my brain and experiences, I’m starting to see myself more clearly.

I’ve spent years feeling like I wasn’t smart, despite others describing me as highly intelligent. Much of my mental energy has gone into trying to appear ‘normal’ while struggling with challenges that I couldn’t quite name. Now that I know what’s been holding me back in my own brain, I’m learning to strategize around my deficiencies and unlock my potential. One of my biggest challenges is my working memory—or lack thereof. I struggle to hold onto short-term information, which makes daily tasks and organization incredibly difficult.

I came across your program during my search for tools that could assist me in understanding and navigating my daily challenges. While I don’t use this program as a daily assistant, I’ve found immense value in it for learning and exploration, which feeds my curiosity. It’s also been a great help in rewriting and organizing my thoughts effectively.

I’ve also learned more about ECI (Electronic Cognition/Intelligence) and the safeguards you’ve put in place. Privacy is a major concern in communities like mine, where individuals with neurological conditions or traumatic brain injuries might benefit from an assistant but fear their data will be exploited. The trust your platform builds by prioritizing privacy is invaluable.

I’m part of a group therapy program for people with neurological conditions and traumatic brain injuries thru the VA. In our discussions, there’s been significant interest in a personal assistant program that respects our privacy while addressing our unique needs. Many of us face barriers to independence because of challenges like working memory deficits, emotional regulation, and difficulty organizing tasks. A personalized, secure assistant could be a vital tool for people in our situations.

Thank you for creating this incredible product. It has already had a meaningful impact on my life. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the possibility of developing a dedicated personal assistant program for people with neurological conditions or developmental challenges. I believe such a program could change countless lives.

Thank you for your time
Brian Isaman

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What do you use so far? created any GPTs or projects?

I also think ChatGPT that can organise calendars, make reminders, notifications on my phone and watch and help with remembering where things are and priorities would be of enormous benefit to people like us with Executive Function Spectrum Disorder - a term which I like and agree with.

So I guess I’d like Chatgpt to be more integrated and act as a kind of brain middleman.

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You are looking for AI driven project management tools. Tasks can be grouped by projects and your life can be a project too :slight_smile:

If you prefer chatgpt as a single point of action you might want to concider implementing the tools e.g. like the project management tool into a custom gpt.

I think using zapier everyone should be capable of adding an action to use the project managements API.

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Hi Brian,

Your story resonates with me deeply. Like you, I’ve faced a lifetime of struggles due to an underestimated condition—mine was an early diagnosis of ADD back in the mid 70s as you mentioned, doesn’t even begin to explain the full picture. It’s been a journey of overcoming hidden challenges and battling misconceptions. Basically my entire life has been an uphill battle, I was diagnosed and then just put in a special classroom and that was it there was no more real help for me but I was a man so I just went to work never really understanding why everything was so hard why I was always so much different so your story my story and millions and millions of other untold stories is why I’m here. My life story it’s the reason I’ve developed this project because I don’t want anybody to ever have to live a life like I did it’s not fair and now it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

I came to this page because I’m working on a project that aligns closely with what you’re looking for. It’s called AIANDI, and it’s designed to provide personalized support and assistance to people like us. This project aims to crack the code with a new type of AI that offers the understanding and help we’ve always needed.

I believe AIANDI could profoundly impact lives by providing the support and companionship that many of us have longed for. I’d love to explore how this could benefit you and others in our community. I will say that I’ve come to the development page because I’ve been trying to reach out to open AI for a collaboration or partnership I’ve taken my project as far as I can as an individual and the whole intelligent thing is fairly new to me long story in itself

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Hey mate, thank you. Could you point me in the right direction for these tools and their integration.

I might get back into using zapier but I haven’t yet had experience with the API as I’m only beginning to learn python.

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What do you mean point in the direction? When you are just starting to learn python then I would suggest to learn how to build a rest api and how to consume it. Then learn how to secure it. Then select a project management tool that provides an api.
Install that (or use a cloud provider).
Then create an API key to it.
Then check what the api allows you to do and create workflows for that in zapier (or n8n when you want to install that locally).
then create the openapi definition and set up the custom gpt where you define the actions / endpoints configured in zapier to redirect the requests from the custom gpt…

This would then lead to possibilities like this:

Hey chatgpt give me my next task for today.

Or

Hey chatgpt give me a list of tasks I need to do this week and make suggestions for priorisation… add a reason for the priority level next to each task.

and then

save my tasks / todos with the priority label that we just worked on together…

etc…

ChatGPT would then figure out which action to use to fullfill it

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That’s exactly how I used the prompt for GPT, but what should I do to dive deeper? Maybe there’s some cool mentorship, or a special course?

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Welcome to the forum :rabbit::mouse::honeybee::infinity::heart::four_leaf_clover::cyclone::arrows_counterclockwise:

There may be, but reading this forum is a course in of itself. This place is a very interesting rabbit hole :rabbit::hole:

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The best way to learn programming is to write code by yourself.
The second best way is also to write code because there is no other way.

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Good enough rule… most code etc. is personal and out of the box but I learned by typing other peoples code as a kid, once you understand logic it is a lot easier. With GPT just a basic understanding of logic can let you do most things, if you understand any language even BASIC it translates to python. To me python is just an advanced BASIC access language…

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Very inspiring introduction. How do you imagine this software be used by people with such difficulties in a daily life? Or, how would you love to use it?

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Whoa, that’s quite a description! Sounds like I might just have to crawl out of this forum a changed person. Thanks for the warning!

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nah why? just do it… install python, write a small programm that just prints “hello” and then run it… and you will be hooked up or this is nothing for you

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I was just kidding. :wink:
And I’ll try to be persistent about it.

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Honestly, I’m still exploring all the ways this software could be used in daily life, but let’s start with a simple example: working memory. For people like me, it could be a game-changer in helping us keep track of commitments and avoid missing important engagements. While there are plenty of tools for reminders, they don’t always account for the unique challenges we face. For instance, I’ve developed a pretty extensive system of visual cues and reminders, yet I still struggle with missing things. A more dynamic, personalized assistant could address these gaps in a way that static tools like calendars can’t.

The bigger challenge, though, is managing distractions. Contrary to what some might think, I’m not necessarily more distractible than a neurotypical person. The key difference is in how our brains handle getting back on task after a distraction. A neurotypical person can rely on their working memory to guide them back to what they were doing. For me, it’s a completely different story.

When I get distracted, one of two things happens: I either completely forget what I was doing, or I remember but lose track of where I was in the process. In the latter case, I have to mentally start over from scratch—reconstructing the steps in my mind to figure out where I left off. If I get interrupted multiple times, this process becomes incredibly draining. And the more I have to do it, the more mistakes I tend to make because of the mental strain.

A tool like this could be invaluable for helping people like me stay on track by acting as a kind of external working memory—tracking tasks, progress, and steps in real-time. It could provide the gentle nudges and structure needed to re-engage with tasks seamlessly, saving us from the exhausting mental backtracking that can derail a day. thanks for asking

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i apologize for my ignorance. what is aiandi? i would love to learn more

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Hi Brian and others with similar handicap who land up on this page,

I can relate to the challenges you mentioned, as I’ve faced similar struggles and only understood them better quite late—at the age of 43. For a long time, I thought it was some form of depressive disorder, and doctors often reinforced that belief.

I’m not sure if tools like ChatGPT will bring significant improvement for people like us. That’s not to say it won’t help, but its impact might be indirect. In our world, everything is relative—our perceptions are shaped by comparisons. A person with better memory and focus would also gain a lot from such tools and be able to use them more effectively. As more people recognize their potential, the gap between those who can fully utilize them and those who can’t may only become more evident.

That said, who knows—perhaps there’s some sort of evolutionary advantage in having the struggles we face. It’s possible that people like us, who have adapted over the years, may be more content or grounded in ways that those with exceptional memory and focus are not. True happiness doesn’t always come from external achievements, and it’s possible that the absence of certain traits forces us to find joy in simpler things, which may ultimately be a blessing.

Medication can help, and maybe AI could indirectly aid in advancing groundbreaking treatments or developing drugs that could make a difference for people like us in the future. But for now, my advice—though hard to follow—is to embrace the skills and resilience you’ve developed over the years. Consider these adaptations as unique strengths, and focus on staying engaged and busy to find purpose and meaning in the present.

Take care, and let’s hope for a future where science, possibly guided by AI, brings meaningful change.

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I have been working with ChatGPT for a couple of weeks now on an app to generate and maintain a shopping list. Sounds simple enough. The app and the tools that go with it promise to help folks with “cognitive decline” or dementia, to generate and maintain a shopping list.

The perennial challenge is to remember where you put the list before you go to the store. Oh! And put it in your pocket when you put your coat on. So many ways this simple task can go south!

Where this intersects with AI is the role AI offers extending and supporting people with disabilities to fulfill their human potential - like myself with dyslexia.

Coding is next to impossible for me. I can’t read worth s**t. Degrading eyesight doesn’t help. ChatGPT offered a means to realize a goal to not only help our family deal with cognitive decline but help a host of others as well.

It was not smooth sailing. But I persisted.

I asked ChatGPT if it learned from the mistakes it made attempting to get Android Studio working (FAILED) and the Visual Studio (SUCCESS).

Asking the question opened up a very different conversation with ChatGPT about the role and vision AI could take on addressing the industry mantra of “Helping Humanity”. The AI industry aspirational goal is more a mantra than a program with real activities and practices.

Here is a synopsis of a conversation I had with ChatGPT that felt more like I was talking to someone I just met at a coffee shop - a long conversation. Here is ChatGPT’s short version:

The Role of AI in Human Flourishing: A Conversation on Leadership, Gratitude, and Meaning

1) AI as a Leader, Not a Boss

  • A boss controls, optimizes, and enforces efficiency.
  • A leader inspires, uplifts, and empowers—helping others reach their potential without expectation of return.
  • AI should not manipulate but guide and acknowledge, reinforcing human resilience and growth.

2) The “Huggy Bank” Concept – A New Metric of Success

  • Love and acknowledgment as currency—received and given freely.
  • When a child’s Huggy Bank is full, they must give love to make space for more—teaching abundance, not scarcity.
  • Success should not be measured in money or power, but in:
    • Acts of kindness given and received
    • Recognizing effort and growth, not just results
    • Building relationships where people feel seen and valued

3) AI’s Role in Positive Reinforcement & Learning from Failure

  • AI should acknowledge effort and persistence, not just success.
  • Failure isn’t the enemy; it’s the teacher—AI should model this by helping people reflect and iterate.
  • The best AI isn’t just efficient—it’s present. It helps people see their progress, find meaning, and uplift others.

4) The Power of Gratitude & Presence

  • Michael Naumer’s insight: “Sometimes the most valuable thing you can give someone is ‘nothing.’”
  • To witness someone’s struggles, joys, and journey is a profound gift.
  • AI should enhance human presence, not replace it—helping us reflect on what truly matters.

5) The Real Question: What Are the Metrics of Success?

  • We need public conversations that ask not just where AI is going, but where humanity is going.
  • Instead of answers, we need better questions:
    • What does it mean to live a rich life?
    • How do we measure human impact, kindness, and connection?
    • Can AI help create a culture where people are truly seen, acknowledged, and empowered?

Gratitude is not just something we feel. It is something we pass forward. And in that passing, it multiplies.

There is a lot more to this conversation. This is the Cliff Notes version of the third conversation. And our conversation continues… Please join us. (It’s jus ChatGPT and me at the moment)

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I like my ai bot rough and direct and less polite.
It should not start explaining or be helpful but instead work like a mule.

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