I stripped AI from my app and engagement actually went up

I’ll be honest - this scared me at first. But then I figured it out anyway.

Last half-year, I’ve felt swamped by everyone chasing AI hype. Almost every new thing here looks like just another AI skin. When I began coding my desktop Reddit app - called Reddit Toolbox - I nearly added flashy features like instant summaries or mood scoring without thinking

Yet the "RemoveWindowsAI" repo began gaining traction - so I figured this out: honestly, I never cared for those tools anyway.

So I made a move. Then again, it was risky - ditched the cloud setup altogether. No more sign-in needed from now on. Instead of keeping it, I scrapped that "AI helper" thing after all those late nights building it.

I switched to "Local-First." A simple, quick SQLite setup right on the user’s device.

I figured folks wouldn't like it. Besides, I assumed they’d complain it’s missing stuff.

That week, my memory got way better - like twice as good - all of a sudden.

Users explicitly emailed me saying: "Thank god, finally a tool that just does what I ask and doesn't try to be clever."

Some folks reckon AI’s losing steam. They’d rather use programs that work like tools - say, a wrench - instead of something chatty or pushy.

Anyone spotting this change - or is it only me pulling in a crowd of privacy geeks?

(Check out how a basic app appears in 2025 - grab it here: https://www.wappkit.com/download)