SageAI

Inspiration

In today’s AI-driven world, most tools are created for younger, tech-savvy users. But what about our grandparents? Despite being the age group that could benefit the most from assistive technologies, only 9% of AI users are over the age of 55. Many seniors face daily challenges — from forgetting medications and missing appointments to feeling isolated and disconnected from the digital world. Inspired by our own families and grandparents, we wanted to create something that didn’t just help them but made them feel seen and supported. That’s how SageAI was born: a compassionate, intelligent, and accessible AI companion designed specifically for older adults.

What it does

SageAI is a voice- and text-enabled AI caretaker that helps seniors manage daily routines with confidence and ease. Users can speak or type to SageAI to set medication and wellness reminders, sync their Google Calendar, and receive helpful, friendly guidance throughout the day. The platform includes a dedicated medical history tab, which can be filled out conversationally — no typing or form-filling necessary. SageAI also supports emergency alerting features, notifying guardians if something seems wrong. Accessibility features like zoomable text and clear voice responses ensure that every interaction feels safe and comfortable. While features like games and community chat channels are part of our long-term vision, they are not yet implemented in this version.

How we built it

We used Bolt to create the core application logic and flow. ElevenLabs powers our voice interaction layer, allowing SageAI to respond with clear, human-like speech. Gemini 2.5 Flash with grounding provides conversational intelligence and real-time contextual awareness. Supabase serves as our backend, handling user authentication, reminder storage, and medical history. For scheduling, SageAI integrates with Google Calendar, and the entire application is deployed via Netlify. Every design decision — from account creation to emergency responses — was made with simplicity and clarity in mind, ensuring that seniors can use SageAI without frustration.

Challenges we ran into

Designing for older adults came with unique challenges. We had to rethink the way interfaces are structured, reduce cognitive load, and ensure that interactions were intuitive even for users unfamiliar with AI or smart devices. Making the voice and text modes feel interchangeable without confusion required thoughtful integration between ElevenLabs and Gemini. Managing calendar permissions securely while maintaining a smooth user experience was also a technical hurdle, especially when syncing reminders across different services. Lastly, creating a consistent design system that prioritized accessibility took time and multiple iterations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we created something that genuinely helps people — not just as a technical exercise, but as a tool that can improve daily life for an underserved population. From the backend to the UI to voice interaction, we brought together multiple technologies in a unified, full-stack application that is both functional and empathetic. Most of all, we’re proud of how real seniors — including our own grandparents — responded to SageAI with curiosity and joy.

What we learned

We learned that designing for seniors is as much about emotional design as it is about technical design. Features that feel “basic” to younger users can be confusing or even inaccessible to older adults. This required us to build with empathy, test frequently, and prioritize simplicity over complexity. On the technical side, we gained deeper experience integrating conversational AI, voice synthesis, calendar APIs, and secure authentication, all while balancing real-world usability.

What's next for SageAI

Our roadmap includes expanding SageAI’s community features by adding simple games like Bingo and multiplayer trivia to encourage social connection. We also plan to develop family dashboards that give guardians real-time updates and alerts. Future iterations will include support for wearable health data (like heart rate and movement), multilingual interaction, and steps toward HIPAA compliance to prepare SageAI for real-world medical partnerships. Most of all, we’re committed to growing SageAI into a platform that makes aging in the digital era safer, easier, and more joyful.