Alex Banks

Building a better future with AI

Alex Banks is a founder, creator and investor. He reaches over 1 million people on social media each week with insights into the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

He is the founder and writer of The Signal, a weekly newsletter that cuts through the AI noise to over 55,000+ readers.

Alex is also an active early-stage investor and advisor to startups across the AI and technology landscape.

👉 All partnerships, enquiries and speaking engagements: contact@noisemedia.ai

Writer

Your AI company is just a wrapper.

But that's the whole point.

When Chinese company Manus AI released their autonomous agent, one comment kept appearing:

"It's just a Claude wrapper."

The comment was absolutely right. Manus is only a Claude wrapper.

As Peak, a Co-Founder of Manus, clearly stated:

"We use Claude and different Qwen-finetunes" alongside various tools and open-source packages.

Yet somehow this becomes a "gotcha" that diminishes what's been built.

For some context, let's extend this logic:

• Salesforce is an Oracle database wrapper valued at $320 billion
• Stripe is a Mastercard wrapper valued at $70 billion
• AWS is an HPC primitives wrapper valued at $3 trillion

It turns out that everything in tech is a wrapper.

But in AI things get interesting:

→ We thought the application layer would be commoditised
→ We believed value would concentrate in foundation models
→ The reality is playing out differently

The models themselves are rapidly becoming commodities.

As the cost of intelligence trends toward zero, the real opportunity lies in:

1. Infusing unique insights
2. Leveraging proprietary data sets
3. Creating magical user experiences
4. Building networks effects and a community
5. Combining the best LLMs with specialised tools

These are the areas where I see a sustainable advantage.

So, yes, your AI company might be "just a wrapper."

But that's exactly where the value is being created.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I cover the most important AI developments each week in my newsletter.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

Unitree's G1 humanoid undergoes brutal stress testing.

And I can't stop watching.

The robot in question is the Unitree G1 humanoid:

• 1.32m tall, 35kg build
• 23 degrees of freedom for human-like movement
• 2m/s walking speed
• Advanced 3D LiDAR and sensors
• 2-hour battery life
• $16,000 price tag

It’s even available to buy at Walmart.

G1 has now learned an "Anti-Gravity" mode.

This means that stability is greatly improved under any action sequence.

Even if it falls, it can quickly get back up in under 2 seconds.

The robot has essentially learned to “hack” physics.

You can see in the video that it uses the inertia from bouncing to perform some action.

Knock over the average human and we’ll be on the ground for at least a couple of minutes.

My takeaway:

Whilst “violence tests” are fun for attention.

I’m more interested in seeing real demos that people actually care about, like doing the dishes, vacuuming, laundry, etc.

Control for body mechanics is mostly solved right now.

But fine motor skills, specifically hand dexterity, are the real bottleneck.

When we achieve this and understand how to scale manufacturing, the future is unlocked.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I cover the most important AI developments each week in my newsletter.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

P.S. He forgot to sweep the leg…

Anthropic said no to the Pentagon.
OpenAI signed the deal hours later.
Here's what happened:

Anthropic drew two red lines with the Department of War:

1. No mass domestic surveillance
↳ AI can now analyse bulk data the government buys on Americans at scale
↳ Currently legal, but only because the law hasn't caught up

2. No fully autonomous weapons
↳ AI isn't reliable enough to automate selecting and engaging targets
↳ No oversight framework exists for removing humans from the loop

For context:

→ Anthropic was the first AI company on the classified cloud
→ Deployed across intelligence, cyber ops, and combat support
→ Forfeited hundreds of millions cutting off CCP-linked firms
→ These two red lines represent ~1% of use cases

The Pentagon gave Anthropic a 3-day ultimatum.

Anthropic refused.

The response:

→ President Trump: "Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk"
→ Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: Anthropic is a "supply chain risk"
→ Trump ordered every federal agency to cease all use of Anthropic's technology

Then OpenAI entered.

On Friday morning, Altman publicly backed Anthropic's red lines.

By Friday evening, he'd signed the Pentagon deal himself:

→ OpenAI claims the same red lines as Anthropic, plus a third
→ OpenAI asked the Pentagon to offer identical terms to all AI labs
→ Multiple OpenAI employees signed an open letter supporting Anthropic
→ Altman admitted the deal was "definitely rushed" and "the optics don't look good"

The consumer backlash was immediate:

→ "Cancel ChatGPT" went viral across Reddit and X
→ Claude hit # 1 on the App Store, overtaking ChatGPT
→ Claude is now # 1 in Germany, Canada, and other markets

My takeaway:

Not only have I seen my workflows fully transition from ChatGPT to Claude over the last year, but the consumer mass-market is catching up.

I think it’s also important to point out that correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation here.

Claude didn’t just hit # 1 in the app store as a result of ChatGPT accepting the DOW deal.

Anthropic has simply built a better product where the timing of adoption happened to coincide with this viral uproar of the company denying use of their products for the surveillance of Americans and operation of autonomous weapons.

Ethical positioning now has direct commercial consequences.

Values are becoming a competitive moat.

I covered this idea yesterday in my newsletter.

Be the first to receive it by subscribing today.

Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e898z7SG

Claude just made switching from ChatGPT effortless.
You can now import your entire memory in 30 seconds.
Here's exactly how it works:

Step 1: Go to Claude Settings → Capabilities
↳ Scroll to the Memory section
↳ Find "Import memory from other AI providers"
↳ Click "Start import"

Step 2: Copy the prompt Claude gives you
↳ The pop-out shows a ready-made prompt
↳ Hit Copy (it's already written for you)

Step 3: Paste it into ChatGPT (or any other AI)
↳ Open a new ChatGPT chat and paste the prompt
↳ It exports everything: your identity, career, projects, preferences

Step 4: Paste the results back into Claude
↳ Switch back to the Claude import pop-out
↳ Paste ChatGPT's response into the text box
↳ Hit "Add to memory"

That's it. Claude now knows everything ChatGPT knew about you.

What gets transferred:

→ How you like to be spoken to
→ Your role, projects, and goals
→ Tools and frameworks you use
→ Every preference and correction you've made

My takeaway:

Claude hit # 1 on the App Store on Monday.
They’re now # 1 on the Android Store today.

A lot of people are curious about switching but assume they'll lose months of context they've built up with their exiting AI model provider.

That friction just disappeared.

Anthropic has removed the last real switching cost.

Whether it be ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok, you no longer have to start from scratch.

Memory portability is vital for the AI to have robust context about you as an individual and tailor outputs appropriately.

What’s more, the utility of memory compounds over time.

My memory with Claude is already over 2 pages long.

If you've been on the fence, now's the time.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I’ll be doing full coverage in this week’s newsletter.
Subscribe to The Signal: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

The people building AI keep walking away from it.

And they're not leaving quietly.

In the past week alone:

1. Mrinank Sharma, Anthropic's Safeguards Research lead, resigned with an open letter declaring the world is facing "interconnected crises."
2. Zoë Hitzig, an OpenAI research scientis,t published a New York Times op-ed warning about user manipulation through ChatGPT's emerging ad strategy.
3. Two more xAI co-founders left (half the founding team is now gone)

Rewind further and the list grows:

→ Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder, left to start a safety-focused company (May 2024)
→ Jan Leike, co-lead of OpenAI's Superalignment team, resigned saying safety had taken a backseat (May 2024)
→ Miles Brundage, OpenAI's senior advisor for AGI readiness, warned that no lab is prepared for what's coming (October 2024)

Every industry has turnover.

But this isn't normal turnover.

These are researchers who spent years building the most advanced AI systems ever created.

And something about what they saw made them walk away.

If the people who understand this technology best can't reconcile building it with their own conscience, what does that tell the rest of us?

Or are they partnering with national publications to generate clicks while leaning into the "fear AI" angle to drive demand for their next venture?

Only time will tell.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I explore ideas like this weekly in my newsletter The Signal.
Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

Emma J Marketing - Freelance

Providing strategic, goal-driven marketing + social media consulting to businesses and leaders in the film, leisure, and entertainment industries.

Working with exhibitors, distributors, entertainment marketing agencies and cinema brands I offer the following services:

➡️ Marketing Strategy and Consulting
➡️ Content writing and research
➡️ Social Media / Content Strategy
➡️ Brand-building
➡️ Training and Education
➡️ Auditing, analysis and insights

Independent Marketing & Social Media Consultant

Cinetopia

We're building a better way to connect the film community. 💯🎬

A smart, fun, one-stop-shop matchmaking platform for the film community to help you access the people, opportunities, resources, and information you need to thrive, all in one place, AND earn money from your skills and expertise.

Cinetopia is where the film community meets.

➡️ Brand building 
➡️ Social media marketing
➡️ Community outreach and engagement
➡️ Market research & assessment
➡️ Content creation

Marketing / Community Engagement Lead

French Film Festival UK

Led the marketing and communications strategy for the Festival's 30th anniversary edition.

➡️ 300% growth YoY across social media with a focused video content strategy

➡️ Grew newsletter database by over 750 subscribers

➡️ Tripled the average engagement time on the festival website through auditing and optimising 
the customer journey and content

➡️ Delivery of a digital media pack and personalised marketing assets resulted in increased engagement and marketing support from venue partners 

➡️ National and regional coverage in Time Out, 
Sunday Times Magazine, The Skinny 

I oversaw: 

▶️ Digital campaign including Instagram, Facebook, and X - and website management

▶️ Comms strategy with Cornershop PR

▶️ Advertising and media placement 

▶️ Sponsors and partnerships

▶️ Talent management and liaison

Head of Marketing and Communications

Queen Margaret University

✔️Responsible for brand social media channels including content development and planning
✔️Lead on brand awareness campaigns for student recruitment
✔️Copywriting, content creation and editing
✔️ Supporting the wider recruitment and course promotion activity working with international team and academic staff
✔️ Web management and Community Engagement
✔️ Paid advertising

Content Marketing and Campaigns Lead

Merlin Entertainments plc

PR and Marketing lead for two sites. A key part of my role was to identify and nurture new revenue streams, build strategic partnerships and improve the digital presence of the Dungeon. 
✔️ Responsible for marketing budget, managing an assistant, reporting to SLT
✔️ Oversaw day-to-day management of all advertising, press office, social media, budget reporting, trade and sales updates, website, CRM, and crisis communications
✔️ Responsible for development of key business relationships in Edinburgh and York and developed an influencer / brand ambassador programme 
✔️ Responsible for all marketing and sales collateral
✔️ Lead developer of new brand-led products working with Dungeon global brand 
team, external partners, and agencies. 
✔️ Led awards strategy resulting in key wins: ASVA marketing award finalist and winner of Leading Regional Tourist Attraction (Thistle Awards)
✔️ Regularly attended marketing and tourism training and development events and set - up competitor monitoring system for benchmarking.

Marketing Manager - Multisite

PPHE Hotel Group

🏨 Oversaw a portfolio of 15 lifestyle restaurants and bar brands across Europe working within the corporate marketing team. I also supported the Director of Corporate Communications, EMEA with corporate and hotel communications activity above and beyond my day-to-day role.

✔️ Project Lead on all Marketing & PR activity for the launch of six new R&B brands working with SLT, Concept Chefs, Sales, Legal, Finance, HR, and Brand teams – from pre-opening plans to post launch ongoing strategy
✔️ Responsible for the day-to-day MarComms strategy at European level for existing restaurant brands working with internal and external stakeholders to meet KPIs
✔️ Partnerships lead on several successful brand collaborations including Heineken, Beefeater Gin, and Amsterdam Dance Festival and Lumiere London
✔️ Influencer and press management, working with celebrity ambassadors, partner brands and managing PR agencies in each key market
✔️ Part of the (successful) PPHE pitch team with the VP of Development and Director of Marketing to Foster + Partner and Battersea Power Station Development Company to open art'otel london battersea
✔️ Fostered excellent working relationships with Italian, Dutch and Croatian teams
✔️ Organised and led press and industry fam trips to Croatia, Italy, Amsterdam, Berlin, London
✔️ Supported the development of an intranet-based, R&B-focused employee engagement programme to foster support and knowledge exchange between team members across our regions
✔️ Events lead including hospitality industry fundraisers, press events, brand-collaborations, and product launches
✔️ Supported Head of Communications on media training, internal communications, and spokesperson opportunities for SLT
✔️ Reported at quarterly business reviews to CEO, COO, RGMs, GMs and Development Chef teams
✔️ ‘Passion Player of the Year’ internal award-winner and PPHE graduate mentor

PR & Marketing Manager, EMEA 

PRCO Group

Press office and media relations management for 9 clients including: Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz; Grace Hotels; GSTAAD Tourism; The Yeatman, Porto; Inkaterra, Peru and Zambian Horizons luxury safari camps, Zambia

Developed the company blog, set-up and managed the company's Instagram, including the development of video content.

PR Account Manager

Responsible Travel

Produced SEO content for Responsible Travel's community website.

Copywriter / Community Website Administrator

Wall Street Institute, ITALY

•Compiling, writing and sub-editing complete Intermediate Level Business English course manual, currently used in 400 schools across 28 countries.

Educational Products Author

Various Clients

Provided a freelance translation service (Italian/English and English/Italian) for a number of corporate clients.

Freelance Translator/Interpreter

I'm a seasoned, multidisciplinary marketing consultant with over 12 years' experience leading integrated campaigns across UK and internationally, across the hospitality, tourism, education, and film sectors. An early-adopter of social media and digital platforms since 2004, I'm fascinated by the intersection of pop culture, technology, media, fandoms, and disruptors / the evolution of entertainment. 

I currently offer my services on a freelance consultancy basis, as well as being open to more hands-on marketing projects. 

STUFF I DON'T DO: SEO, Paid Media / Paid Advertising, Website design, Graphic Design (I am a whizz at Canva - this is NOT the same as a professional, skilled graphic designer!), Video Production / Tech


I help brands:

🍿 Build effective, sustainable, long-term, and goal-oriented social media and marketing campaigns to drive awareness, engagement, and sales

🍿 Audit your existing marketing and social media activity and identify opportunities, inefficiencies, and gaps to help you build better for the future

🍿 Identify and connect with relevant fan communities and untapped audiences, thinking social-first

🍿 Understand current trends and cultural shifts in the online space and how to leverage them

 🍿 Develop trends, insights, and thought leadership content (reports, newsletters, white papers, blogs, LinkedIn, etc.) through specialist research and writing

I value curiosity, experimentation, risk-taking, open-mindedness, critical thinking, and supportive, mentor-mindset environments. 

On the side I write Reeling & Dealing, a film marketing Substack and enjoy painting, cooking, writing fanfiction and reading historical non-fiction.

I'm fascinated by innovations in audience engagement, Gen-Z and the evolution of the media / entertainment consumption and marketing landscape, innovations in digital tech, the physical and analogue media revival.

Who do I help?

➡️ Film / Hospitality / Entertainment brands and organisations

➡️ Exhibitors / Distributors

➡️ Tech businesses

➡️ Cultural organisations

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The Battle

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Emma Jamieson (she/her)

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex Banks's LinkedIn Performance

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