Objects are forgotten. Memories remain. Based on this insight, MyWai offers a unique gift experience: transforming a person's memories into a printed and bound biographical book, powered by artificial intelligence.
The concept is simple: the initiator creates a dedicated space, invites loved ones to contribute photos and stories, and the AI composes a coherent and moving narrative from these scattered memories. The first chapter is offered free to showcase the quality. The complete book — roughly 50 pages with photos — is then printed and delivered for an all-inclusive price of 99€.
Context before the project
The personalized gift market suffered from a paradox: the most meaningful gifts — those that truly touch people — are also the hardest to create. Writing a book tracing a loved one's life requires weeks of work, skilled writing, and complex printing logistics.
Existing solutions were limited to online photo albums or complex self-publishing services, without editorial support. Loved ones wanting to offer a memorable gift for a birthday, retirement, or tribute found themselves overwhelmed by the scale of the task.
Furthermore, family stories are being lost as families scatter geographically. Anecdotes, photos, and memories remain locked in individual minds, without a lasting medium to pass them on to future generations.
Project objectives
To democratize biographical book creation, the platform needed to:
- Make creation accessible to everyone through a guided step-by-step journey, with no writing skills required.
- Collect memories without friction by allowing contributors to share photos and stories via a simple email or SMS link, with no account creation.
- Produce quality AI narratives that transform fragmented memories into a coherent, personalized, and moving text.
- Manage the entire chain from memory collection through to printing and delivery of the bound book.
- Offer a "try before you buy" model with a free first chapter to convince through quality.
The implemented solution
MyWai combines a robust Rails backend, a modern React application, and advanced AI integration to deliver a seamless end-to-end experience.
Guided creation journey
- 6-step wizard : space creation, narrative tone selection, contributor invitations, free first chapter generation, customization, complete generation
- Tone selection influencing the AI's writing style (up to 3 personality traits per book)
- Editable private space to review, adjust, and personalize content before printing
Artificial intelligence
- AI narrative generation transforming fragmented memories into coherent chapters
- Intelligent photo analysis : date estimation, content description, chapter assignment suggestions
- Tone-based personalization : writing style adapts to selected personality traits
- Image processing pipeline : EXIF extraction, automatic rotation, cropping, and optimization
Contributor portal
- Email and SMS invitations with unlimited number of contributors
- No-account contribution : loved ones share photos and stories via a simple secure link
- Intuitive interface to maximize contributor participation rates
Printing and delivery
- Professional PDF generation with careful layout and photo integration
- Integrated digital publishing for online browsing
- Print-on-demand and home delivery included in the price
- Secure payment via Stripe with gift card system for group purchases
Technical architecture
- Rails backend + React frontend : robust API coupled with a modern SPA for optimal user experience
- Multi-provider authentication : Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft alongside classic authentication
- Multi-language : French, English, and Spanish for international reach
- B2B offering : dedicated space for companies seeking corporate gifts and employer branding
Results achieved
Key performance indicators
99€
all-inclusive: AI writing, printing, binding, and delivery
Unlimited
number of contributors per book
6 chapters
AI-generated from collected memories
3 languages
French, English, and Spanish
The launch of MyWai validated the concept: the "free first chapter" model allows users to discover the AI writing quality before any financial commitment, creating a natural conversion dynamic.
The email and SMS invitation system, with no account creation for contributors, maximizes participation rates. Loved ones easily share their photos and stories, enriching the material from which the AI composes the narrative.
Intelligent photo analysis — date estimation, content description, chapter assignment suggestions — considerably reduces the sorting and organization work for the book initiator.
The B2B offering opens a promising development avenue: companies use MyWai for retirement gifts, employer branding projects, or team-building initiatives around collective memory.
Evolution and roadmap
MyWai continues its development to enrich the experience and expand its reach:
- Additional book formats : themed books (travel, career, couple) with adapted chapter templates
- B2B expansion : custom offerings for works councils and employer branding programs
- New languages : adding German and Italian to support European expansion
Conclusion
The MyWai project illustrates how artificial intelligence can serve human emotion rather than replace it. By combining collaborative memory collection, personalized AI writing, and a complete printing chain, we created a product that transforms memory fragments into a tangible and precious object.
The technical challenge was ambitious: orchestrating AI, image processing, multi-channel invitations, payment, and printing into a seamless user journey. The result is a platform that proves technology, well applied to a strong emotional need, can create products that deeply touch people.