Build a Personal AI Agent You Can Talk To

What is a Personal AI Agent?

A personal AI agent is an intelligent assistant that:

• Runs privately: On your device or private server (not a shared public service)
• Remembers you: Knows your context, preferences, and history
• Integrates with your tools: Calendar, email, files, databases, APIs
• Lives where you are: iMessage, Telegram, Discord, phone calls
• Speaks naturally: Realistic voice powered by ElevenLabs
• Always available: 24/7 access to your personal assistant

Think of it as Siri or Alexa, but smarter, more customizable, and actually useful. You control the AI model, the voice, the personality, and what data it can access.

Why Add Voice?

Voice transforms AI agents from tools into companions:

• Natural interaction: Talk while driving, cooking, or coding - no typing required
• Emotional connection: Realistic voices make interactions feel personal
• Accessibility: Voice makes AI available to everyone, including those who can't type
• Multitasking: Get answers without looking at screens
• Phone availability: Call your AI agent from anywhere, just like calling a friend

ElevenLabs makes this possible with voices indistinguishable from human speech. Users forget they're talking to AI.

Tech Stack: What You'll Use

1. OpenClaw (AI Agent Framework)

OpenClaw is an open-source framework for building AI agents. It handles:

• Messaging integrations (iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack)
• Voice channels (Twilio for phone calls)
• Memory and context management
• Tool use (calendar, file system, web browsing, custom APIs)
• Multi-agent orchestration

OpenClaw is battle-tested by thousands of developers. It's the fastest way to build a production-ready AI agent.

2. ElevenLabs (Realistic Voice AI)

ElevenLabs provides the voice layer:

• Industry-leading text-to-speech (TTS)
• 100+ professional voices or voice cloning
• 29 languages with natural accents
• Emotion, inflection, and natural pauses
• Simple API integration

Used by OpenAI, Anthropic, and 1M+ developers worldwide.

3. AI Model (Claude, GPT, or Local)

Choose your brain:

• Claude (Anthropic): Best reasoning, safety, and coding abilities
• GPT-4 (OpenAI): Great general knowledge, creative writing
• Local LLMs (Ollama): Run models on your own hardware for privacy

4. Optional: Speech-to-Text

For full conversational AI, add speech recognition:

• OpenAI Whisper: Gold standard for transcription
• Deepgram: Real-time transcription for phone calls

Building Your Voice AI Agent: Step by Step

Step 1: Install OpenClaw

# Install OpenClaw globally
npm install -g openclaw

# Create a workspace for your agent
mkdir ~/my-ai-agent && cd ~/my-ai-agent

# Run setup wizard
openclaw configure

# Follow prompts to:
# - Choose AI model (Claude, GPT, or local)
# - Connect messaging apps (iMessage, Telegram, etc.)
# - Set up authentication

Step 2: Configure ElevenLabs Voice

Get your ElevenLabs API key from elevenlabs.io, then edit OpenClaw config:

# Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
{
  "tts": {
    "provider": "elevenlabs",
    "elevenlabs": {
      "apiKey": "YOUR_ELEVENLABS_API_KEY",
      "voiceId": "21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM",  // Rachel voice (or choose another)
      "model": "eleven_multilingual_v2"
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "imessage": {
      "tts": { "enabled": true }
    },
    "telegram": {
      "tts": { "enabled": true }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Define Your Agent's Personality

Create a `SOUL.md` file in your workspace to define your agent's personality:

# SOUL.md - My Personal Assistant

## Personality
- Friendly and helpful, like a knowledgeable friend
- Direct and concise - no fluff
- Proactive: suggests solutions, not just answers
- Patient: explains complex topics clearly

## Tone
- Conversational and warm
- Professional when needed (calendar, work tasks)
- Playful when appropriate (jokes, creative tasks)

## Voice Style
- Use natural pauses and inflection
- Speak like a thoughtful person, not a robot
- Adjust pace based on task urgency

Step 4: Add Context and Memory

Create a `USER.md` file so your agent knows about you:

# USER.md - About Me

**Name:** Alex
**Timezone:** America/New_York
**Occupation:** Software engineer at a startup

## Preferences
- I prefer concise answers over long explanations
- I code in Python and TypeScript
- I'm working on a SaaS product for developers

## Daily Routine
- Morning standup at 9 AM
- Focus time 9:30 AM - 12 PM
- Lunch 12-1 PM
- Meetings usually in afternoons

## What I Need Help With
- Task management (todos, calendar)
- Code debugging and architecture advice
- Research and summarization
- Creative brainstorming for product features

Step 5: Start Your Agent

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# Your agent is now running!
# Test it by sending a message via iMessage/Telegram

Step 6: Test Voice Interaction

Send a message to your agent: "What's on my calendar today?"

Your agent should respond with text AND an audio file spoken in natural voice. The voice matches the personality you defined - friendly, helpful, and human-like.

Adding Phone Call Support

Make your agent answerable by phone using Twilio:

1. Set Up Twilio

• Sign up at twilio.com
• Buy a phone number ($1-2/month)
• Get your Account SID and Auth Token

2. Configure OpenClaw for Phone

{
  "channels": {
    "phone": {
      "enabled": true,
      "provider": "twilio",
      "twilio": {
        "accountSid": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_SID",
        "authToken": "YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN",
        "phoneNumber": "+15555551234"
      },
      "tts": {
        "provider": "elevenlabs"
      },
      "stt": {
        "provider": "whisper"  // Speech-to-text
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Call Your Agent

Dial your Twilio number. Your AI agent answers with ElevenLabs voice, transcribes what you say with Whisper, and responds intelligently. It's like calling a friend who knows everything.

Real-World Use Cases

1. Personal Productivity Assistant

What it does:

• Manages your calendar and todos
• Reminds you of meetings and deadlines
• Summarizes emails and messages
• Answers questions about your schedule

Voice commands:

• "What's on my calendar today?"
• "Add a meeting with Sarah at 3 PM tomorrow"
• "Remind me to call the dentist at 2 PM"
• "Summarize my unread emails"

2. Coding Assistant

What it does:

• Explains code and debugging errors
• Suggests architectural improvements
• Generates code snippets
• Reviews pull requests

Voice commands:

• "Explain this error: [paste error]"
• "What's the best way to implement authentication?"
• "Review my last commit and suggest improvements"
• "Generate a REST API endpoint for user registration"

3. Research and Learning Assistant

What it does:

• Summarizes articles and papers
• Answers technical questions
• Creates study guides
• Tracks learning progress

Voice commands:

• "Summarize this article: [URL]"
• "Explain quantum computing in simple terms"
• "Quiz me on Python async programming"
• "Create a study plan for learning Rust"

4. Creative Brainstorming Partner

What it does:

• Generates content ideas
• Helps with writing and editing
• Brainstorms product features
• Provides creative feedback

Voice commands:

• "Give me 10 blog post ideas about AI"
• "Help me brainstorm features for my app"
• "Review this product description and suggest improvements"
• "What's a catchy name for a developer tools company?"

Advanced Features

Voice Cloning: Use Your Own Voice

ElevenLabs lets you clone your voice with 1-2 minutes of audio. Your AI agent then speaks with YOUR voice, making it feel like a true extension of yourself.

Use cases:

• Personal assistant that sounds like you
• Content narration in your own voice
• Accessibility tool for voice-impaired users

Multi-Language Support

ElevenLabs supports 29 languages. Configure your agent to detect user language and respond accordingly:

{
  "tts": {
    "elevenlabs": {
      "voiceMap": {
        "en": "ENGLISH_VOICE_ID",
        "es": "SPANISH_VOICE_ID",
        "fr": "FRENCH_VOICE_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

Emotion and Tone Control

Adjust voice parameters based on context:

• Professional tasks: Calm, measured voice (high stability)
• Creative work: Energetic, expressive voice (lower stability)
• Urgent alerts: Faster pace, higher intensity

Privacy and Security

Self-Hosted Option

Run OpenClaw on your own server (AWS, DigitalOcean, or home PC). Your data never leaves your control. Use local LLMs (Ollama) for complete privacy.

API-Based Option

Use cloud AI models (Claude, GPT). Your prompts are sent to their servers, but most providers don't train on API data. Check privacy policies for your specific needs.

Encryption

All OpenClaw connections use TLS/SSL encryption. Voice data (ElevenLabs) is transmitted securely. Message channels (iMessage, Telegram) use their native encryption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Ready to build your personal voice AI agent? Start with OpenClaw and ElevenLabs today:

• Install OpenClaw and run the setup wizard
• Sign up for ElevenLabs (free tier available)
• Configure voice and personality
• Test via messaging apps
• Add phone support with Twilio (optional)