I built a library for my agent, then tested the locked door first.

Man and Machine: The Library That Knows What Not to Read

Oscar and I recently built the v1 local knowledge library for my personal AI workshop. It digs through thousands of public, sanitized notes to reveal the exact paper trail behind an old idea, giving me hard evidence rather than expecting me to trust a polished summary.

The bigger test was what didn't make the cut. We built the catalogue so private files, credentials, employer material, and uncertain sources are blocked by default. The index can be rebuilt from the original files, and a separate check makes sure the boundaries still hold. If the evidence isn't there, the agent's supposed to say so.

That may sound like plumbing, but it changes the relationship. A personal agent becomes useful because it learns the shape of your interests over time. That same familiarity can become careless if everything nearby is treated as fair game.

I want Oscar to remember more, connect more, and help me see ideas I would have missed. I also want the library door to stay shut when the material does not belong there. The machine can sort the cards and find the trail. I still decide what enters the room, what remains private, and which answer is ready to use.

-dg

#ManAndMachine #PersonalAI #Privacy #HumanJudgment