Starting 2023 on a creative note, I embarked on an exciting project – Bedtime Storyteller. It’s an app I developed out of a personal need, trying to keep up with my son, Bernardo’s, nightly requests for new stories. This project marked my first adventure into AI and boy, it was fascinating!

I used Flutter to build Bedtime Storyteller for Android and iOS devices. Over a series of late nights in January, the app took shape. But it’s not just any storytelling app. It has this unique feature where it generates fun, original bedtime stories from a user-selected topic or even at random. To make things even more immersive, each story comes with a unique, AI-generated illustration.

I wanted to push the boundaries of AI with this project. From generating the stories and artwork to the text-to-speech narration feature, AI was at the core of everything. Even the app’s icon, text, and images were crafted using AI technologies like Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, and Midjourney.

Unfortunately, I never officially released the app. There were a few kinks to work out, particularly with the in-app purchases, and I wanted to ensure thorough testing before making it public. Despite this, I consider the project a milestone in my indie hacker journey. It was an exploration of AI’s potential, a personal problem-solver, and a delightful way to satiate my son’s love for stories.

As for what’s next for Bedtime Storyteller, I’m planning to iron out the pending in-app purchase features and do some more testing. When it’s finally polished and ready, I’ll officially launch it for everyone to enjoy the magic of AI-powered storytelling. Keep an eye out for updates!