Practical AI Chris on AI, autonomous swarming, home automation and Rust!
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Nov 26, 2025 
Chris Benson, a robotics and autonomy expert, dives into groundbreaking topics like AI, drones, and home automation. He emphasizes how open-source software and small AI models are revolutionizing home automation on a budget. Chris also discusses the emerging field of swarming technology, outlining its potential applications and differences from conventional fleets. With a focus on local systems over cloud reliance, he highlights the exciting future of physical AI and community-driven projects, all while advocating for the Rust programming language.
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Many Small Models Beat One Giant Model
- The future is not one giant model but many smaller models and agents collaborating to solve tasks.
- We're entering an agent era where models act on behalf of users in specialized, composable ways.
Start Building With Open Tools
- Become a maker: combine open models from Hugging Face with open software to build practical AI without huge budgets.
- You can prototype powerful systems as a student or hobbyist using free or cheap resources.
Inherited Home Automation Sparked Tinkering
- Chris moved into a house pre-wired for home automation and that jump-started his practical projects.
- Inheriting the setup made it easy for him to expand and experiment with smart-home integrations.