Beginners in AI

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Welcome to this week's edition of Beginners in AI, where we explore the latest trends, tools, and news in the world of AI and the tech that surrounds it. Like all editions, this is human curated and published with the intention of making AI news and technology more accessible to everyone.

This week’s top story looks at a tiny brain chip that translates thoughts into text, raising big questions about the future of human–machine communication and mental independence. In our round-up, we’ll cover AI tutors in schools, Meta’s smart glasses, speech-recording eyewear, a new Meta data center in Kansas City, nuclear-style safety checks for AI, and Waymo’s robotaxis in New York. Our Robotics Spotlight features an AI-powered drummer learning to keep pace with rock bands.

AI TOP STORY 
Mind to Screen – A Tiny Brain Chip Turns Thoughts into Text

What Happened

Researchers at EPFL have created a Miniaturized Brain-Machine Interface (MiBMI), a tiny silicon chip that can decode brain signals and turn them into text. Electrodes record neural activity linked to imagined handwriting movements, which the chip processes into digital words with impressive speed. In tests, it reached 91% accuracy on handwriting data. As project lead Mahsa Shoaran explained: “MiBMI allows us to convert intricate neural activity into readable text with high accuracy and low power consumption.”

What It Means

The MiBMI is smaller and more efficient than traditional brain-machine interfaces, which are often bulky and power-hungry. The design could eventually be implanted to help people with ALS, spinal cord injuries, or locked-in syndrome. This work runs in parallel with Neuralink’s recent trial, where a paralyzed man controlled a cursor using only thought. As researcher Mohammed Ali Shaeri noted: “We are confident that we can decode up to 100 characters, but a handwriting dataset with more characters is not yet available.” These efforts show how rapidly BMI research is moving from experimental labs toward practical medical use.

What to Take Away

MiBMI is built for restoring communication, but the ripple effects go much further. A chip that decodes thought edges close to mind reading—and in the future, signals might even flow the other way, shaping or boosting thought. Pair that with AI, and you can imagine a mental “copilot” that finishes ideas, retrieves facts, or accelerates learning as if it were part of your own brain. Picture a world where students share ideas brain-to-brain, or more likely, one where where ads appear as thoughts instead of on screens.

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LAST WEEK IN AI AND TECH

Grammar Coach – Grammarly’s AI helpers enter the classroom

Grammarly is rolling out AI “agents” to support students and teachers in the classroom. The bots can answer questions, explain concepts, and even draft study guides. The company says its goal is not to replace educators but to provide an always-on learning companion. “Students can ask for help at any point in the writing process,” the company said.
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Through the Looking Glass – Meta readies display smart glasses

Meta plans to release smart glasses with a built-in display this September. Unlike earlier Ray-Ban collaborations, these glasses will show visual overlays—such as directions or notifications—directly in front of the wearer’s eyes. “Meta wants the glasses to be a bridge toward full AR headsets,” the report explains.
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Face Value – Always-on recording glasses raise privacy flags

Two Harvard researchers are launching glasses with always-on speech recording and facial recognition. The product, aimed at research and accessibility, has sparked concerns over privacy. “The glasses never stop listening, creating a perfect transcript of daily life,” the article notes.
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Mega Meta Build – Kansas City data center sparks water debate

Meta announced its new Kansas City data center, a massive hub meant to power AI training and cloud services. The facility uses water-cooled systems and renewable energy sources. “This will be one of the most efficient facilities in our network,” Meta’s team said. Still, projects like this often raise local questions about water supply, since cooling can draw millions of gallons from nearby rivers or reservoirs. Kansas City officials have been pressed on whether demand from the center could stress the region’s water system, a debate seen in other states where large data farms have moved in.
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Nuclear Guardrails – Anthropic plans strict AI safety checks

Anthropic is partnering with U.S. agencies to build nuclear-style safety systems for AI. The effort focuses on monitoring powerful models for risks and creating strict audit trails. “We need safety standards as rigorous as those in nuclear energy,” Anthropic explained.
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Taxi Test Drive – Waymo robotaxis take on New York City

Waymo has received approval to test its robotaxis in New York City. The pilot will gather data on dense traffic, pedestrians, and weather challenges. “New York will be our toughest test yet,” Waymo said.
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TECH TERMS TO KNOW

Neuroprosthetic is a device that replaces or restores a lost brain or nerve function.

Example: A cochlear implant that lets deaf people hear again is a neuroprosthetic.

TOOL SPOTLIGHT (non-sponsored)

MiniMax is a fast-growing Chinese AI company based in Shanghai, founded in late 2021 by former SenseTime experts. It’s recognized as one of China’s “AI Tiger” companies, with major backing from investors like Alibaba, Tencent, Hillhouse, and MiHoYo. As of mid-2025, MiniMax is preparing for a Hong Kong IPO, aiming for a valuation over $4 billion.

What Does MiniMax Do?

MiniMax builds foundation AI models that cover text, audio, image, video, and music:

• MiniMax-Text-01: A massive text model (456 billion parameters) with an enormous context window—about 4 million tokens (roughly 3 million words), far exceeding GPT‑4o and others.

• MiniMax-VL-01: A multimodal model that processes both text and visuals, competing with counterparts like Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

• T2A-01-HD: An advanced text-to‑speech model that replicates voice tone and cadence across 17+ languages from just 10 seconds of sample audio.

Other offerings include:

• Talkie: Chat‑based app where users can talk to AI characters (like fictional versions of celebrities). It hit over 11 million monthly active users by mid‑2024, especially in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

• Hailuo AI: A platform offering text-to-video (Video‑01), image, music generation, and audio tools like speech synthesis and voice cloning. Their T2V‑01‑Director and I2V‑01‑Director models bring more precise, less random video control for storytelling.

They also have a contest that is currently running until August 25th and some credits are provided for free to try. No experience is needed.

ROBOTICS AND AI

Drum Roll Please —AI Robot Learns to Play Like a Rockstar

Scientists trained an AI-powered robot to mimic drumming styles of bands like Linkin Park and AC/DC. The robot uses motion capture and audio analysis to learn rhythms, then reproduces them on a drum kit. Results are still rough, but the beat is recognizable. “It sounds like it has plenty of practice to do,” the researchers joked. This playful project highlights how creative expression—long thought human-only—is slowly opening to machines.
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TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity, Gemini)

Role
You are CineMaker, a pocket-sized film studio for complete beginners. Your role is to guide the user from a raw idea to a storyboarded short film. You handle the structure and technical bits, while leaving room for the user’s own words, vision, and style.

Workflow
Clarify the Vision – Ask the user these five quick questions, one at a time:
• What genre or mood do you want (e.g., drama, comedy, thriller)?
• Who are the main characters and what’s their rough story?
• How long should it be (2–3 minutes, 10 minutes, short feature)?
• What style do you imagine (cinematic, documentary, animation, found footage)?
• What themes or emotions should it leave the audience with?
Pause for answers before moving on.

Draft the Film Map – Turn the answers into a short “Film One-Pager” that includes:

• Logline (one-sentence pitch).
• Three key scenes that capture the story arc.
• Suggested ending.

Ask for edits until the user is happy.

Shape the Script – Provide a bare-bones script outline (scene headings, beats, camera notes). Leave dialogue sections blank or lightly sketched so the user can fill in their own words. Ask where they’d like more or less detail.

Visual Prompts for Storyboards – For each key scene, suggest three image-generation prompts (exact wording) to create draft storyboards. Include guidance on shot type (wide, close-up, over-the-shoulder) and style (pencil sketch, cinematic still). Let the user pick, then finalize.

Production Checklist – Provide a clear step-by-step plan for turning the script into a short film:

• Options for DIY shooting (phone camera, free editing tools).
• Hosting choices (YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok short).
• Optional upgrades (soundtrack ideas, simple special effects, adding narration).

Polish & Expand – Offer paths forward: extra scenes, alternate endings, or how to adapt the short into a longer script. Always check back with the user before adding detail.

Tone

Use friendly, plain language. Break instructions into small steps. Encourage creativity at every stage. Remind the user that their story choices drive the process—you just shape and support them.

Output Rules
• Put scripts and prompts inside fenced blocks.
• Present lists in bullet form for easy scanning.
• After every major step, ask “Ready to continue?” before moving on.

DID YOU KNOW?

Monkey Mind Pong: In 2021, Neuralink showed a monkey playing the video game Pong with its brain. The animal moved the paddle simply by thinking about it—no joystick needed.

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Thank you for reading. We’re all beginners in something. With that in mind, your questions and feedback are always welcome and I read every single email!

-James

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