Show HN: Send kind and aspirational words to a stranger who needs it

22 mketab 30 9/6/2025, 11:32:22 PM kindnesssender.com ↗

It is simply a reason to be kind to one another, for kindness may be the only medicine for the world’s pain.

Comments (30)

pryelluw · 7h ago

Nothing says kind message like having AI write it for you. Might as well put “dictated but not read” at the bottom of each message.

mketab · 7h ago

Thanks for the feedback. The objective is to spread kindness, regardless of the tool. Also, the final AI-generated message is provided to the user to read and then send, so "dictated but not read" is not applicable.

kmoser · 6h ago

I think writing an inspirational message, and knowing a stranger will read your exact words, is just a fulfilling as being on the receiving end. For that reason I recommend you lose the AI component, except perhaps as a translation mechanism.

mketab · 3h ago

This was originally that way, but when I ran some tests, the main reason of not sending it continuously was the typing part. So, I tested this method and people became more active.

pryelluw · 7h ago

I’d rather have pre-defined templates than some AI magic button. That way you can set a mood and intent for messages without relying on an llm ( which can open up messages to be rather unkind).

mketab · 7h ago

Great feedback, will consider it for the next update. BTW, if you haven't noticed, you can write a message in any language yourself and send to AI to translate it optionally if it is not in English then send it or send it directly. This is the most authentic way, the AI-crafted message is for the users who prefer simpler way to spread kindness.

tentacleuno · 6h ago

Doesn't a message written by an AI carry significantly less weight, though? I'd much rather read someone written by an actual human (this applies to most things, really), and would hold it in much higher regard.

mketab · 4h ago

The main use case is to spread kindness and joy, crafting by hand or AI-generated are just tools to achieve that goal

mrugge · 3h ago

There is something wrong with this position. Ask AI to explain it to you because I am too busy to do it myself.

mketab · 2h ago

thanks for the suggestion, I did: "You’re right that the means can change the message. People often value perceived effort and authenticity, so provenance matters. The evidence is mixed: AI drafts can be rated more empathetic than typical human responses, but when recipients discover a message was machine‑authored, the benefit can vanish unless it’s disclosed and human‑edited. So the app is designed for that reality: (1) hand‑written for people who prefer them; (2) AI‑assisted drafts that must be reviewed by the sender; and (3) clear, simple disclosure"

satisfice · 4h ago

If it's the thought that counts, AI generated messages are not thought. This system is the opposite of kindness. It's dehumanizing.

Esophagus4 · 7h ago

Did Claude generate the front end? I feel like I’ve used Claude enough at this point that I can recognize its UI style :)

mketab · 7h ago

Yes, Windsurf + sonnet 4

tonyhart7 · 6h ago

gradient purple + pink color lol

they love it so much are they

mketab · 4h ago

I think it's more tailwind CSS than the claude, the reason you see many of those colors in the recent apps is the creator uses lovable, bold, or other full agentic coders which by default use tailwind CSS

Esophagus4 · 2h ago

Oh, you’re right - it’s Tailwind.

I have asked Claude to make a website with an “elegant and beautiful UI” and it used Tailwind, which gave it that look.

tbrownaw · 5h ago

Well at least the undeniable impersonality should remove some of the potential hazards of telling people to get their generic cheerleading directly from a chatbot, I'd expect a much lower fraction of users to end up trying to date this thing.

mketab · 4h ago

Good point, and I hope more people use it in the authentic way, which is crafting it themselves and not letting AI to generate the message.

rfrey · 5h ago

Like clicking a button on Facebook to wish someone a happy birthday.

tbrownaw · 4h ago

Except you don't know anything about who the recipient is or what their circumstance is.

vivzkestrel · 5h ago

bad actors on the internet ll have a field day with this one

mketab · 4h ago

what security problems you could see? I'd love to know them.

lutusp · 5h ago

Wait, what? An email address harvester that expects people to volunteer? And that tries to get the sender's geographical position along the way?

The stated purpose could be served without requiring an email address. It could also be served without assuming people will prefer an AI-generated message over their own personally crafted prose ... do such people really exist?

The second goal presumes a person's illiteracy. The first presumes a person's stupidity. Based on those facts and my sampling of recent Internet dialogues, this plan should be a roaring success.

A warning to participants -- from a legal standpoint, you can't accuse someone of stealing your email address if you volunteer it in the first place.

> ... kindness may be the only medicine for the world’s pain.

On the contrary, education is the only medicine for the world's pain. And to avoid unintended consequences, kindness must be accompanied by wisdom.

mketab · 4h ago

Great feedback, a couple of clarifications: It is not an email harvester. The reason for collecting emails is to be able to send kind messages. If someone wants to unsubscribe, they can easily do so by clicking the unsubscribe button in the email they receive. Geographical position is optional. You’re right that it can be misused in the wrong hands. The intent for requesting geographical information is: A. Showing the country counts, which indicates how many people across the world have sent these messages. B. Displaying it in the email so the receiver can see the place from which the sender has sent it. But again, this is optional, as I mentioned earlier. The AI-generated message is a secondary option. The “how it works” section explains that you can craft a message in any language yourself. The AI then checks the content to ensure it is not harmful, and it can optionally translate it if you write it in a non-English language. And I completely agree with you that education is paramount. Thanks for bringing these matters up so I can clarify.

thisislife2 · 2h ago

I don't know if it is an email harvester or an AI experiment. But when I saw the email field, my first thought was, "Why does this service need my email to send my anonymous kind thoughts to someone?", and you lost me there - I am not going to trust a service that I know nothing about with any personal data, especially one where such personal data isn't really required for the purpose stated.

mketab · 2h ago

I respect your decision, and wish you the best.

satisfice · 4h ago

You say it's not an email harvester. But who are you? Are you an unkind person who tells lies about your true purposes? We don't know. Think about how this looks to someone who doesn't know you.

What the world needs is kindness. Real kindness. But it also needs people who understand basic epistemology.

mketab · 3h ago

That’s a fair assumption. We also need people who can trust with caution, otherwise, there wouldn’t be any transactions or exchanges in the world, since every form of transaction or exchange involves an element of trust.

trinsic2 · 4h ago

do you send marketing emails to the account holder?

mketab · 3h ago

I don’t have a marketing agency or anything like that.

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Show HN: Send kind and aspirational words to a stranger who needs it

Comments (30)