In July 2025, Audrey Crews, paralyzed for two decades, wrote her name using only her thoughts. A Neuralink chip with thousands of microelectrodes decoded the electrical signals in her motor cortex, translating intention into digital text. “Just a normal day using telepathy,” she posted on X.
Three recent developments in AI – in video games, wearable technology and education – suggest that building something like Stephenson’s Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer is possible.