8,200 handwritten deeds turned into a searchable index in under three weeks
A photo-and-AI method turned 8,200 deed files, some 50 years old and in cursive, into a searchable index in under three weeks.
When a family business had to close, this student was asked to type 8,200 deed records into a spreadsheet by hand. Instead, they used what they learned in the program to build a skill that read photos of the files and produced an index. It is a quiet, practical story about using new tools to make a hard season lighter for someone they love.
Deeds Register
Before
After a death in the family, their sister needed to close the business and account for every deed it held. There were 8,200 of them, some 50 years old, with file numbers and names written in cursive. The plan was to type each one into Excel, then sort through a card index by hand. Before the program, they would simply have done it, and it would have taken three to six months.
“Before this program I would have done what she asked. It would have taken 3-6 months.”
In their own words
The turning point
The program changed how they approached the task. Rather than typing, they laid out 50 files at a time on the floor and took a photo. Then they built a skill that converted each photo into an index entry.
“Thanks to this program I laid out 50 files at a time on the floor and took a photo, I then built a skill to convert the photo into an index.”
In their own words
After
The whole register was done in less than three weeks. The result is an HTML index their sister can search from home, instead of driving into town to check a card index. One heavy task is gone from her list.
What it lets people do
Anyone holding a client's query can check in moments whether the deeds are held, without a trip to the office. A pile of old, handwritten records becomes something that can be searched from anywhere.
What they learned
They learned that a task that looks like months of manual work can often be rethought from scratch. And that the real value of a new skill can be personal: making a grieving person's life a little easier.
“Easing someone’s grief would be awesome to be able to do, the next best thing is to make their life a little easier – thanks Vyk and AIM 😊”
In their own words
Deeds Register was built during AI Mastery.
Read the full submission
Written 9 August 2026 Submitted by the storyteller
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