AI Event Extractor

We were inspired by the challenge of manually extracting event information from text documents, emails, and announcements. Many people struggle to efficiently parse event details from various sources and convert them into calendar events. We wanted to create a solution that could automatically identify and extract structured event data using AI, making it easy for users to add events to their calendars with just a few clicks.

What it does

AI Event Extractor is a web application that uses Google Gemini AI to automatically extract event information from text. Users can paste any text containing events (emails, announcements, documents, etc.) and the AI will identify and extract:

Event titles
Dates and times
Locations
Descriptions

The extracted events are displayed in a user-friendly interface where users can select which events to download as an iCalendar (.ics) file, which can be imported into any calendar application.

How we built it

Backend: Node.js with Express server
AI Integration: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash API for event extraction
Frontend: HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript
Calendar Generation: iCalendar (.ics) format for universal compatibility
Key Features:
- Robust JSON parsing with jsonrepair library
- Select All/Deselect All functionality for bulk operations
- Responsive design for mobile and desktop
- Error handling and user feedback

Challenges we ran into

AI Response Parsing: The Gemini API sometimes returned JSON wrapped in markdown code blocks, causing parsing errors. We solved this by implementing response cleaning and using the jsonrepair library for robust JSON parsing.
Model Availability: Initially struggled with finding the correct Gemini model name. We added a debug endpoint to discover available models and settled on Gemini 2.5 Flash for stability.
User Experience: Balancing AI processing time with user engagement. We experimented with interactive loading experiences but ultimately focused on a clean, fast interface.
Calendar Format: Ensuring generated .ics files work across different calendar applications required careful attention to iCalendar standards.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Seamless AI Integration: Successfully implemented Google Gemini API with robust error handling
Universal Calendar Compatibility: Generated .ics files work with Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, and others
Clean User Interface: Intuitive design that makes event extraction accessible to non-technical users
Bulk Operations: Select All/Deselect All functionality for efficient event management
Production Ready: Stable, error-free application with comprehensive debugging

What we learned

AI API Integration: How to effectively work with Google Gemini API, including model selection and response handling
Calendar Standards: Deep understanding of iCalendar format and cross-platform compatibility
User Experience Design: The importance of clean, intuitive interfaces for AI-powered applications
Error Handling: Implementing robust error handling for AI responses and network issues
Git Workflow: Advanced Git techniques including branching, pull requests, and collaborative development

What's next for AI Event Extractor

Enhanced AI Models: Integration with more advanced AI models for better event recognition
Smart Suggestions: AI-powered suggestions for event details like location mapping and time zone detection
Batch Processing: Ability to process multiple documents at once
Calendar Integration: Direct integration with popular calendar services (Google Calendar, Outlook)
Mobile App: Native mobile application for on-the-go event extraction
Team Features: Collaborative event planning and sharing capabilities
Advanced Parsing: Support for more complex event formats like recurring events and multi-day events're proud of