KidSearch AI

A simple, safe AI-powered search engine prototype designed for children aged 6-10.

Description

This project provides a web interface where children can ask questions. The backend, built with Python and Flask, takes the query, performs basic safety checks, and then uses the OpenRouter API (specifically configured for google/gemini-pro-2.5 in this implementation) with carefully crafted prompts to generate simple, safe, and age-appropriate answers.

The focus is on:

• Safety: Basic input/output filtering and strict AI prompting to avoid inappropriate content.
• Simplicity: Generating answers using vocabulary and sentence structures suitable for early elementary readers.

Technology Stack

• Backend: Python 3.11+, Flask
• AI Interaction: OpenRouter API (google/gemini-pro-2.5 model) via requests library
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Environment: Python Virtual Environment (venv)

Setup

1. Clone the repository (if you haven't already):

   git clone git@github.com:yusufmalikul/kidsearch.git
   cd kidsearch

2. Create a Python virtual environment:

   python3.11 -m venv .venv

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   • Linux/macOS: source .venv/bin/activate
   • Windows (Git Bash/WSL): source .venv/Scripts/activate
   • Windows (CMD): .venv\Scripts\activate.bat
   • Windows (PowerShell): .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

4. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Set the OpenRouter API Key: You need an API key from OpenRouter. Set it as an environment variable named OPENROUTER_API_KEY.

   • Option A (Environment Variable):

     # Linux/macOS
     export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='your_openrouter_api_key_here'
     # Windows CMD
     set OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_api_key_here
     # Windows PowerShell
     $env:OPENROUTER_API_KEY='your_openrouter_api_key_here'

     (You'll need to do this every time you open a new terminal session unless you add it to your shell profile)
   • Option B (.env file): Create a file named .env in the project root directory (kid-search/) with the following content:

     OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_api_key_here
     

     Then, install python-dotenv:

     pip install python-dotenv

     And uncomment/add the following lines near the top of app.py:

     from dotenv import load_dotenv
     load_dotenv()

     (The .env file is already included in .gitignore)

Running the Application

1. Make sure your virtual environment is activated and the OPENROUTER_API_KEY is set (either as an environment variable or via .env).
2. Run the Flask development server:

   python app.py
   # Or directly using the venv python if not activated:
   # .venv/bin/python app.py

3. Open your web browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:5000 (or the address shown in the terminal).

Enter a query in the input box and press Enter to get a response.