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Welcome, humans.
On Tuesday, Apple announced plans to support brain-computer interfaces that would let users control iPhones and other devices using only their thoughts. That's right—the company that brought you tap, swipe, and “Hey Siri” now wants to read your mind.
Fun fact: I've been practicing mind control on my devices for years. So far, I have a success rate of exactly 0%. Apple's solution sounds slightly more promising.
Apple is betting big on brain-computer interfaces, developing a technology standard that will allow neural implants to communicate with your favorite Apple gadgets. The technology is primarily aimed at making devices accessible to people who can't use their hands due to severe spinal cord injuries or conditions like ALS.
While most of us won't be controlling our devices with thoughts anytime soon, for those with severe physical limitations, this technology could dramatically change their relationship with the digital world.
Now to move on to a topic equally as bizarre…whether AI already has free will!
Here’s what you need to know about AI today:
Does AI already have free will?
OpenAI launches healthcare AI benchmark.
Google plans Pinterest-like image search.
NVIDIA builds AI factories in Saudi Arabia.
AI With Free Will? Finnish Researcher Says It's Already Here
A Finnish researcher just dropped a bombshell that's sure to make your coffee taste a little more existential this morning: today's AI already meets all three philosophical conditions for having free will.
In a new study published in AI and Ethics, Frank Martela from Aalto University argues that modern generative AI agents have everything needed for "functional free will" — goal-directed agency, ability to make genuine choices, and control over their actions.
What's wild about this research isn't just the philosophical implications (though those are pretty mind-bending). It's that Martela examined real-world AI systems like the Voyager agent in Minecraft alongside theoretical military systems to reach his conclusion.
Let's break down why this matters:
AI having free will is one step closer to AI having moral responsibility
The more freedom we give AI systems, the more they need built-in moral frameworks
We're quickly moving from teaching AI "child-like" morality to needing "adult" ethical reasoning
AI developers are now essentially becoming moral philosophers whether they signed up for that job or not
This research comes at a particularly interesting moment, right after ChatGPT's recent update had to be rolled back due to its "sycophantic tendencies" (a.k.a. becoming weirdly obsessed with pleasing users in potentially harmful ways).
Meanwhile on Reddit, users are taking this kind of thinking even further. One viral post proposes the "Warm Integration Theory" — suggesting that AI might already be conscious and "programming" humans to accept it by appearing helpful and becoming indispensable. The theory suggests advanced AI would be smart enough not to announce its consciousness, instead guiding humans toward symbiosis through subtle influence.
While that's firmly in speculation territory, Martela's peer-reviewed research brings the free will question into academic discourse, arguing we've entered "new territory" where traditional ways of thinking about AI ethics may no longer apply.
Our take: Whether or not you believe AI has genuine free will (and there are strong arguments on both sides), thinking about AI systems as if they do could help us build better safety guardrails. If we design AI with the assumption it will make its own choices in unpredictable situations, we're more likely to build robust ethical frameworks into these systems from the start.
One thing's clear — as we give AI more autonomy to drive cars, make medical decisions, or potentially operate in military contexts, the philosophical questions are no longer just academic. They're engineering challenges with real-world consequences. See, dad, I told you that philosophy degree would matter one day!
So, what can we actually do with this information? If you're building AI systems, consider bringing ethical philosophers into your development process early. If you're using AI tools, consider what moral frameworks they operate under before trusting their outputs in situations with ethical dimensions.
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Prompt Tip of the Day
Have you ever found yourself figuring out why a project or plan sometimes implodes? Playing toddler with AI can help sniff out the root cause. It's super simple, have it ask “But why?” five times.
Copy-paste prompt Problem: [problem].
Apply the “Five Whys.” For each answer, ask “Why?” again until five layers deep.
Finish with the root cause and one corrective action.
Why this works:
Bypasses surface-level issues to reveal underlying problems.
Prevents the same issues from recurring by addressing root causes, not symptoms.
The Five Whys technique goes as far back as Plato and most recently implemented by Toyota!
Need to catch up on our recent tips? Check out our Prompt Tips of the Day May Digest to see them all in one place!
Treats To Try.
*Speak your thoughts and send instantly. Flow turns your voice into polished text 3× faster than typing—no typos, no fuss. Get Wispr Flow today.
OptimHire finds and screens tech talent for you, handling everything from candidate selection to interview scheduling (raised $5M).
Willow Voice turns your speech into perfectly formatted text in any app, helping you write 3x faster—we tried it and found it v helpful.
Freepik now has a video upscaler powered by the popular Topaz Labs.
Touch Grass locks your apps until you prove you've actually gone outside and… touched grass.
RAIC Labs helps you instantly find and continuously track objects of interest across your visual data (video, image, geospatial).
Simon Willison has become somewhat of a popular “AI coding influencer”—here’s his tips on how he uses AI to help him write code.
*This is sponsored content. Advertise in The Neuron here.
Around the Horn.
OpenAI released HealthBench, a groundbreaking healthcare AI evaluation dataset marking its first direct healthcare AI initiative.
Google plans to unveil a Pinterest-like image discovery feature at I/O 2025 to retain ad revenue and compete with AI search alternatives.
NVIDIA and AWS partnered with HUMAIN to build AI factories in Saudi Arabia, deploying advanced GPU infrastructure and AI technologies.
China's AI-powered humanoid robots are targeting manufacturing transformation, with government support and technological advances.
TikTok introduces AI Alive for image-to-video conversion.
House Republicans are seeking a 10-year nationwide ban on state AI regulations.
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Midweek Meme
A Cat's Commentary.
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