Neural Notes

Inspiration

Neural Notes was inspired by a commitment to fostering inclusivity in education. Recognizing the challenges faced by students with note-taking difficulties, we aimed to create a solution that would empower every learner to engage with educational content seamlessly.

What it does

Neural Notes is a revolutionary note-taking application designed to break down barriers for students with diverse learning needs. It utilizes GPT-4 to provide transcription and summarization of educational videos, ensuring that all students, regardless of their challenges, can access and comprehend the material effortlessly.

How we built it

Our journey began with harnessing the power of GMG background subtractor to identify and extract crucial slide changes within educational videos. Leveraging this information, we meticulously extracted timestamps to precisely segment content. The subsequent extraction of audio segments related to unique slides paved the way for a comprehensive understanding of the educational material.

Employing the Whisper API, we seamlessly converted audio segments into text files, laying the foundation for a rich and detailed note-taking experience. The integration of GPT-4, a powerhouse in language processing, further elevated our solution. By applying GPT-4 to unique slides and corresponding text, we successfully generated well-organized summaries, revolutionizing the note-taking process.

Challenges we ran into

Our pursuit of perfection encountered challenges that fueled our determination. Full video processing through GPT proved suboptimal, prompting us to rethink our strategy. Extracting distinct slides and audio chunks from lectures demanded meticulous attention to detail. Fine-tuning GPT-4 for optimal note generation required persistent effort and prompt engineering.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Celebrating the successful integration of our fully operational website, we proudly highlight its user-friendly interface and robust functionality. Our solution has been put to the test, successfully processing popular courses such as Natural Language Processing and Analysis of Algorithms, showcasing its reliability and versatility.

What we learned

The journey with Neural Notes has been an enriching learning experience. Navigating API integration with OpenAI provided insights into seamless collaboration between technologies. Delving into prompt engineering and fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) honed our skills in optimizing the performance of sophisticated language processing tools.

What's next for Neural Notes

Our vision for Neural Notes extends beyond its current capabilities. The next frontier involves implementing live conversion of video to notes, ensuring real-time accessibility. We aspire to seamlessly integrate our product into the expansive video libraries of Columbia University, marking a significant stride towards universal educational inclusivity.