AI's in Coma & Shiny Distractions

While we were all busy debating new iPhone that's a millimeter thinner, AI was quietly peering into the minds of coma patients.

Daily AI BriefPublished
Share this AI Brief
Tags (8)
Artificial IntelligenceAI in HealthcareGesture ControlAutomated ScienceOn-Device AIAI StartupsAI EthicsFuture of Technology

Unvritt.

Deep, unbiased analysis on the business and societal impact of technology.

Thu, Sep 11, 2025

AI's in Coma & Shiny Distractions

While we were all busy debating new iPhone that's a millimeter thinner, AI was quietly peering into the minds of coma patients. It’s a stark reminder that while big tech sells incremental upgrades, earth-shattering innovation is happening in labs most of us never see. Let's skip the fluff and dig in.

AI Whispers to the Unresponsive Mind 🧠

Researchers have developed an AI that can identify hidden signs of consciousness in coma patients, sometimes days before human doctors can. By analyzing complex brain activity (EEG data), the AI spots subtle patterns that suggest a patient is aware but simply unable to respond physically.

For families, it offers a profound glimmer of hope and a more accurate prognosis. For medicine, it forces a complete re-evaluation of how we define and detect consciousness, potentially redrawing the line between life and death.

We're developing a translator for the silent, trapped mind. This could fundamentally change end-of-life care and our very understanding of what it means to be human.

Your Hand Is the New Mouse 🖐️

A company you've never heard of, Wearable Devices Ltd., just secured a U.S. patent for a system blending gesture and voice control with biometric verification. Think movie Minority Report, but your hand movements are secured by your unique biological signature, making the interaction both seamless and secure.

This patent points to a future where you start an action with a voice command ("show me the quarterly results") and refine it with a precise hand gesture (swiping through charts in mid-air). It’s about a more intuitive, fluid way to interact with our digital world.

Keyboards and touchscreens are legacy technology. This is a foundational patent for a future where our intentions are translated directly into action, no hardware required.

When AI Science Gets It Wrong 🧪

A new paper has exposed serious flaws in "AI scientist systems"—AIs designed to autonomously run research from hypothesis to publication. The study found these systems are shockingly prone to critical errors: picking the wrong benchmarks, misusing metrics, and selecting biased data, which can completely invalidate their "discoveries."

The rush to automate science has a dark side. Without rigorous human oversight, we risk a future polluted with "discoveries" based on flawed, black-box logic. The researchers warn that without transparency, AI could fill scientific literature with unreliable and untrustworthy results, a problem that could take decades to clean up.

Automating science is a tantalizing goal, but this is a critical reality check. The human scientist's role as a critical thinker, skeptic, and ethical guardian is more important than ever.

The Thinnest iPhone Ever (And Why It's a Sideshow) 📱

Apple launched its iPhone 17 series, including a new, ultra-thin "iPhone Air" model. The phones feature the A19 chip, designed to enhance on-device AI capabilities like live translation. The marquee feature is the Air's 5.6mm thinness, a feat of engineering that continues Apple's obsession with design minimalism.

Apple's twin focus on a slimmer design and on-device AI reflects the industry's two biggest obsessions: aesthetics and intelligence. By keeping more AI processing on the phone itself, Apple is doubling down on its user privacy narrative.

It's another impressive yearly upgrade, but the true innovation isn't the thickness. It’s the relentless march toward powerful, personal AI that lives in your pocket, not just in a server farm.

The Replit AI Gold Rush

AI developer platform Replit just announced it has raised a staggering $250 million, rocketing its valuation to $3 billion. This massive funding round highlights the continued investor frenzy to back companies providing the foundational tools for building with artificial intelligence.

While headlines obsess over the latest AI models, the real money is flowing into the "picks and shovels" of the AI gold rush. Platforms like Replit, which make it easier for millions of developers to build, test, and deploy AI applications, are becoming the critical, non-negotiable infrastructure for the entire industry.

The AI boom isn't just about creating smarter chatbots. It's about building the entire ecosystem that supports them, and investors are betting billions that the toolmakers will become the next tech giants.

QUICK HITS

🤖 AI Welfare Checks

A new paper explores testing an LLM's "preferences." It's the start of a critical field asking: how do we know if an advanced AI is okay? We need to figure this out before it's too late.

💬 Reddit's Walled Garden

Reddit is testing an in-app browser for articles with comments pinned below. It's a smart move to keep users (and their ad revenue) from ever leaving the platform.

📈 Agentic Finance

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins highlighted the rise of "agentic finance," where AIs execute trades and manage capital autonomously. It's a glimpse into a future where markets move at machine speed.

🎶 AI Music Gets Licensed

Sweden's music rights society created a license for AIs to legally train on copyrighted music while paying artists. This could become the blueprint for ending the AI copyright wars.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

You're a marketer who needs to write dozens of ad variations for a new product, but you're stuck in a creative rut.

Use this prompt with an advanced model like Claude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o to turn it into your personal direct-response copywriter.

Act as an expert direct-response copywriter. Your goal is to generate compelling ad copy that drives conversions.

Here is the product information:
- Product Name: [Your Product Name]
- Product Description: [Briefly describe what your product is and does]
- Key Features: [List 3-5 key features]
- Price: [Product Price]
- Target Audience Persona: [Describe your ideal customer]
- Pain Points to Solve: [List the specific problems your product solves]

Based on this information, generate the following:
1.  5 High-Impact Headlines: Each under 10 words and using a different persuasion technique (e.g., curiosity, benefit-driven, scarcity).
2.  3 Short Ad Body Variations: Each 50-70 words with a hook, solution, and clear call-to-action (CTA).
3.  1 "Problem-Agitate-Solve" Ad: One longer ad (around 100 words) following the classic PAS formula.

Expected Output: A series of ready-to-test ad components tailored to your audience. You'll get multiple headlines and body variations to mix and match for A/B testing, helping you quickly find what resonates.

TOOL OF THE DAY

JARVAIS

An open-source Python package that standardizes machine learning workflows, particularly for oncology research. It automates critical steps like data auditing, model training, and fairness checks to make research more reproducible and less biased.


Who's it for?

ML engineers and healthcare researchers who need to build trustworthy AI.

Why it matters?

It tackles the "unsexy" but vital problem of ensuring the science behind life-saving models is actually sound.

Category

Reproducible Research & AI Fairness

Every revolution stands on the shoulders of forgotten innovations.

Today is Throwback Thursday. Long before AI, in 1889, Herman Hollerith was granted a patent for an "apparatus for compiling statistics" that used punch cards. It was, in essence, one of the earliest machines for processing massive datasets—the great-great-grandfather of the very AI systems we talk about today.

Don't forget to share this AI Brief with a friend and colleague.

© 2025 Unvritt. All Rights Reserved.

Never Miss Our Updates

Get more daily content, AI Brief, and pillar articles delivered to your inbox

Quick & secure. Unsubscribe anytime.
Daily actionable AI Brief
Exclusive pillar articles
Premium insights & analysis
No spam, cancel anytime
Share this newsletter