Build Your Own AI System (Simple Architecture) — Lesson 1

Today I am pleased to launch the free Personal AI Architecture course. This is for developers and vibe coders who want to understand and build on the same architecture that BrainDrive is built on.

The course is 6 Lessons and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

By the end of the course you’ll be up and running with your own AI system that runs privately on your computer, and can chat with your documents privately without even needing an internet connection.

If you have questions as you go through the course just respond to the thread and I am happy to answer.

Enjoy!

Dave

In this lesson I introduce the Personal AI Architecture — 4 components, 2 APIs, and the one place you actually do want to be locked in (it’s not where you think).

What you’ll learn

  • Why building a personal AI system has two lock-in problems, not one
  • The 4 components — Your Memory · Agent Loop · Auth · Gateway
  • The 2 APIs — Gateway API · Model API
  • The 3 deliverables that ship with the architecture — Spec · Template · BrainDrive

This is a free course for builders who want to own and control their AI system instead of renting it from Big Tech. Vibe-coder friendly. I’ll be using Claude Code; the same process works with any coding agent.

Resources


“How to Build Your Personal AI System” is a free 6-lesson course. Next up: Lesson 2 — Free Github Spec & Template for Building Your Own AI.