Second Brain AI Salon #03 — AI, Education & the Future of Intelligent Companions
Second Brain AI Salon #03
AI, Education & the Future of Intelligent Companions
LinkedIn San Francisco — 1st Floor Public Space
222 2nd Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Network: 222 2nd Wifi by Meter
Password: 222MeterWifi
Friday, August 14, 2026
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
About Second Brain AI Salon
AI is becoming more capable every day. But as AI becomes more intelligent, one fundamental question becomes increasingly important:
How can AI understand context, learn from experience, and collaborate with humans over time?
Second Brain AI Salon is a weekly gathering in San Francisco bringing together AI builders, founders, engineers, researchers, educators, and independent thinkers for open conversations about the future of AI memory, agents, intelligent systems, and human–AI collaboration.
Across eight Fridays, we are exploring a broader question:
How does AI evolve from a powerful tool into an intelligent collaborator?
Each week approaches this question from a different angle — from memory and education to agents, software creation, human–AI collaboration, and ultimately the communities and systems that will shape the next generation of Silicon Valley.
Week 3
AI, Education & the Future of Intelligent Companions
Friday, August 14, 2026 · 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
What happens when AI moves beyond the screen?
Instead of interacting with AI only through chat windows and software interfaces, what if we could learn with AI, build with AI, and grow alongside intelligent companions?
For Week 3, we’re excited to welcome Ivan Crewkov, Co-founder & CEO of Buddy.ai, for a conversation at the intersection of AI education, voice-first AI, intelligent companions, and human learning.
Buddy.ai is a voice-first AI tutor designed to help children learn through natural conversation and play. Since pioneering avatar-based AI tutoring in 2019, Buddy has reached millions of users worldwide, with over 115 million downloads, exploring what happens when every child can have access to a personalized 1:1 AI tutor.
Inspired by his own children’s experience entering the U.S. school system as English learners, Ivan is building Buddy with a focus on safe, educational AI that prioritizes learning while making education engaging and playful.
Rather than treating AI as something students simply consume, Buddy raises a different question:
What if learning with AI means having an intelligent companion that can teach, listen, adapt, and grow alongside the learner?
This connects directly to the broader Second Brain question: if AI can become a long-term collaborator, how should humans learn, remember, create, and grow together with intelligent systems?
Conversation Topics
• How should we teach and learn in the age of intelligent AI tutors?
• What changes when every child can have a personalized 1:1 AI tutor?
• Can AI companions make learning more accessible, engaging, and personalized?
• What happens when AI moves beyond software interfaces into voice-based, natural interactions?
• How can AI support creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and independent learning?
• What can intelligent companions teach us about long-term human–AI relationships?
• How do we build AI for children that prioritizes learning, safety, and human development over engagement at any cost?
• As AI becomes more capable, what should humans learn to do differently?
Featured Guest
Ivan Crewkov
Co-founder & CEO, Buddy.ai
Ivan Crewkov is an AI education entrepreneur and a pioneer in voice-first AI products. He co-founded Buddy.ai, an AI-powered learning companion designed to give children access to personalized, engaging English learning through voice-based interaction and play.
Since pioneering avatar-based AI tutoring in 2019, Buddy.ai has grown to over 115 million downloads, becoming one of the leading consumer-focused AI tutoring products for children.
Inspired by his own children’s experience as English learners in the U.S. school system, Ivan is focused on building safe, educational AI that helps children learn through personalized interaction, conversation, and play.
The 8-Week Conversation Series
Week 1 · July 31
Why Does AI Need Memory?
What does AI lose when it cannot remember? Exploring memory, context, continuity, and the foundations of the AI Second Brain.
Week 2 · August 7
Building the AI Second Brain & LingCode
How can AI become a persistent cognitive partner rather than a collection of disconnected conversations?
Week 3 · August 14
AI, Education & the Future of Intelligent Companions
How will humans learn differently when AI can teach, interact, remember, and exist in the physical world?
Week 4 · August 21
The New AI Startup Stack
From foundation models to agents and infrastructure — what does it take to build an AI company today?
Week 5 · August 28
AI Agents: Digital Employees or New Forms of Intelligence?
Are agents simply automation tools, or are we developing a fundamentally new form of software intelligence?
Week 6 · September 4
When AI Starts Building Software
What happens when AI moves from assisting programmers to actively designing, writing, testing, and improving software?
Week 7 · September 11
Human + AI Collaboration: What Should We Remember?
If AI becomes part of our long-term cognitive process, what should it remember — and what should remain uniquely human?
Week 8 · September 18
Building the Next Silicon Valley: Trust, Community & Innovation
What kind of communities, relationships, and culture are necessary to build the next generation of technology?
Join the Conversation
Second Brain AI Salon is intentionally small and conversational.
We welcome founders, engineers, researchers, educators, designers, students, builders, and curious minds who are interested in where AI is heading — and what humans will become alongside it.
Come for the conversation.
Stay for the people, ideas, and unexpected connections.
San Francisco · Every Friday · 3:30–5:30 PM
Second Brain AI Salon
Exploring memory, intelligence, and human–AI collaboration — one conversation at a time.
About the Hosts
The Second Brain AI Salon is hosted by Henry Kendall and Heidi (Jing) Wu, co-creators of The Second Brain: AI and the Practice of Scientific Thinking.
Together, they explore the future of AI, memory, agents, and human-AI collaboration while documenting their journey of building an AI startup in public from San Francisco.
Henry Kendall
Engineering • Rapid Prototyping • Technical Execution
A Silicon Valley engineer and entrepreneur with 30+ years of industry experience.
Heidi (Jing) Wu
Product Vision • Writing • Storytelling
An author and AI explorer documenting the startup journey through writing, videos, and the series Keeping Up with the Kendalls.
Join founders, engineers, researchers, and builders as we explore the next generation of intelligent systems.