AI Systems and the Empire Ring

Flynn · Sep 14, 2025

Here’s a tight rundown of each item in your list, then concrete picks for (A) your Empire Ring movie workflow, (B) your ASP.NET Core MVC (Code-First) stack, and (C) Raspberry Pi nodes—with full, ready-to-drop code for the MVC side (C#) and a Pi agent (Python).

Quick guide to the 15 AI systems (what they are + where they shine)

Fathom — Meeting recorder/AI notes for Zoom/Meet. Great for interviews, table reads, vendor calls; gives instant highlights and action items.
Zapier — No-code automations between 7k+ apps. Perfect for publishing pipes (YouTube → Drive → Notion → Slack) and for kicking webhooks to your APIs.
Gumloop (likely: workflow/agent/data tool) — Used to chain AI steps over docs/data with forms and automations. Handy for research briefs and multi-step “ingest → summarize → tag → export.”
Cursor — AI-first code editor (VS Code core) that understands your repo. Killer for refactors, tests, and scaffolding .NET/TS projects.
NotebookLM — Google’s “AI over your sources” research notebook. Feed it transcripts, PDFs, outlines; it keeps citations and drafts briefs/scripts.
ChatGPT Deep Research — OpenAI’s long-context, source-hunting researcher. Use for “state of X,” competitor scans, timelines, idea trees with citations.
Claude — Anthropic’s model; superb on long context, careful editing, safety, and prose. Great for script rewrites, tone, and policy/contract drafting.
Revio (assumed: “Revio/Reel/Review” meeting or review assistant) — Use as a review hub to collect/structure feedback (cuts, thumbnails, copy).
ChatAid (browser helper/assistant) — Side-panel helper to summarize pages, draft comments, or scrape light page content.
Icon (assumed: branding/logo/imagery generator) — Quick iconography and logomarks for your decks, title cards, UI badges.
Gamma — AI decks/docs/landing pages. Instantly output pitch decks, story bibles, and partner one-pagers.
Precision (assumed: AI for precise/structured outputs—prompt templates, evaluation, or data QA) — Use to standardize summaries/metadata with strict schema.
Atlas (assumed: knowledge graph / research mind-map tool) — Organize characters, timeline, locations, assets; generate relationship maps.
n8n — Open-source Zapier-like automations on your server. Perfect for private, advanced workflows that hit your APIs and DB.
Lovable — “Prompt to full app” generator. Great for rapid throwaway microsites, internal tools, and UI mock apps to test flows.

If any of the “assumed” tools (Revio, Icon, Precision, Atlas) mean something else in your context, tell me the exact product name and I’ll remap instantly.

Best picks for each of your goals

A) Empire Ring (film + marketing) – recommended stack

Pre-pro/Research: NotebookLM (source packs), ChatGPT Deep Research (market/SEO angles), Atlas (story world map).
Script & Copy: Claude (dialog polish, narration), ChatGPT (variants + punch-ups).
Interviews/Calls: Fathom (transcription & action items).
Decks & Sales: Gamma (pitch, sponsor decks), Icon (marks), Lovable (teaser microsite).
Automation: Zapier (public pipelines), n8n (private: approve → publish → notify), Revio (structured review rounds).
Governance/Metadata: Precision (schemas for scene notes, rights, release states).

B) ASP.NET Core MVC (Code-First) – recommended stack

Coding speed: Cursor (repo-aware edits/tests).
AI services: ChatGPT + Claude via your own AI gateway (below).
Automations: n8n on your VPS; reserve Zapier for SaaS bridges.
Docs/Knowledge: NotebookLM over your internal PDFs/specs.
App seeding/decks: Gamma for quick internal docs and stakeholder pages.
Brand bits: Icon for logomarks and UI glyphs.

C) Raspberry Pi nodes (Empire Ring NFC + facilities)

On-device agent: Python script (below) to (1) read NFC, (2) call your MVC webhook, (3) drive GPIO (servo/relay/LED), (4) optional TTS feedback.
Ops brain: n8n orchestrates “access-granted” side effects (log row → SignalR toast → SMS via Twilio).
Build helpers: Cursor (Pi Python), ChatGPT for fast fixes/snippets.

CODE: MVC + AI Orchestrator + Webhook + Pi agent

Below are complete, copy-ready files. You can change namespaces to your solution’s root (e.g., LLCAIMACHINE).

1) ASP.NET Core MVC — AI gateway + access webhook

File:

using System.Threading; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace EmpireRing.Services.AI { /// <summary> /// Minimal LLM client contract so you can swap vendors (OpenAI, Claude). /// </summary> public interface ILLMClient { Task<string> CompleteAsync(string systemPrompt, string userPrompt, CancellationToken ct = default); Task<string> SummarizeAsync(string text, string styleHint = null, CancellationToken ct = default); } }

File:

using System.Net.Http; using System.Net.Http.Headers; using System.Text; using System.Text.Json; using System.Threading; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace EmpireRing.Services.AI { /// <summary> /// Simple OpenAI client. Uses "gpt-4o-mini" by default; swap to your preferred model. /// </summary> public sealed class OpenAIClient : ILLMClient { private readonly HttpClient _http; private readonly string _model; public OpenAIClient(HttpClient http) { _http = http; _http.BaseAddress = new System.Uri("https://api.openai.com/v1/"); _http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY")); _model = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_MODEL") ?? "gpt-4o-mini"; } public async Task<string> CompleteAsync(string systemPrompt, string userPrompt, CancellationToken ct = default) { var payload = new { model = _model, messages = new object[] { new { role = "system", content = systemPrompt }, new { role = "user", content = userPrompt } } }; var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload); var res = await _http.PostAsync("chat/completions", new StringContent(json, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json"), ct); res.EnsureSuccessStatusCode(); using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(await res.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(ct)); return doc.RootElement.GetProperty("choices")[0].GetProperty("message").GetProperty("content").GetString() ?? ""; } public Task<string> SummarizeAsync(string text, string styleHint = null, CancellationToken ct = default) => CompleteAsync($"Summarize clearly. {styleHint}", text, ct); } }

File:

using System.Net.Http; using System.Net.Http.Headers; using System.Text; using System.Text.Json; using System.Threading; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace EmpireRing.Services.AI { /// <summary> /// Minimal Anthropic Claude client (Messages API). /// </summary> public sealed class ClaudeClient : ILLMClient { private readonly HttpClient _http; private readonly string _model; public ClaudeClient(HttpClient http) { _http = http; _http.BaseAddress = new System.Uri("https://api.anthropic.com/v1/"); _http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY")); _http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("anthropic-version", "2023-06-01"); _model = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_MODEL") ?? "claude-3-5-sonnet-latest"; } public async Task<string> CompleteAsync(string systemPrompt, string userPrompt, CancellationToken ct = default) { var payload = new { model = _model, system = systemPrompt, messages = new object[] { new { role = "user", content = userPrompt } }, max_tokens = 1200 }; var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload); var res = await _http.PostAsync("messages", new StringContent(json, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json"), ct); res.EnsureSuccessStatusCode(); using var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(await res.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(ct)); var content = doc.RootElement.GetProperty("content")[0].GetProperty("text").GetString(); return content ?? ""; } public Task<string> SummarizeAsync(string text, string styleHint = null, CancellationToken ct = default) => CompleteAsync($"Summarize clearly. {styleHint}", text, ct); } }

File:

using System.Threading; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace EmpireRing.Services.AI { /// <summary> /// Simple router that lets you pick vendor per use case. /// Example policy: Claude for long edits; OpenAI for fast tags. /// </summary> public sealed class AiOrchestrator { private readonly ILLMClient _openai; private readonly ILLMClient _claude; public AiOrchestrator(OpenAIClient openai, ClaudeClient claude) { _openai = openai; _claude = claude; } public Task<string> GenerateTagsAsync(string text, CancellationToken ct = default) => _openai.CompleteAsync("Return 5 comma-separated tags only.", text, ct); public Task<string> RewriteScriptAsync(string scene, string tone, CancellationToken ct = default) => _claude.CompleteAsync($"Rewrite as cinematic narration. Tone: {tone}. Preserve facts.", scene, ct); public Task<string> SummarizeTranscriptAsync(string transcript, CancellationToken ct = default) => _claude.SummarizeAsync(transcript, "Bullets, timestamps if present.", ct); } }

File:

using System; namespace EmpireRing.Models { /// <summary> /// Logs every NFC check from a Pi node. /// </summary> public class AccessLog { public Guid Id { get; set; } = Guid.NewGuid(); public DateTimeOffset Timestamp { get; set; } = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow; public string NodeId { get; set; } = default!; // Pi node identifier public string RingUid { get; set; } = default!; // NFC UID hex public bool Granted { get; set; } public string Reason { get; set; } = ""; } }

File:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore; using EmpireRing.Models; namespace EmpireRing.Data { public class AppDbContext : DbContext { public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> opt) : base(opt) { } public DbSet<AccessLog> AccessLogs => Set<AccessLog>(); protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder b) { b.Entity<AccessLog>(e => { e.HasKey(x => x.Id); e.Property(x => x.NodeId).HasMaxLength(64).IsRequired(); e.Property(x => x.RingUid).HasMaxLength(64).IsRequired(); e.Property(x => x.Reason).HasMaxLength(256); e.HasIndex(x => new { x.NodeId, x.Timestamp }); }); } } }

File:

using System; using System.Threading.Tasks; using EmpireRing.Data; using EmpireRing.Models; using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc; using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore; namespace EmpireRing.Controllers { /// <summary> /// Webhook: Pi posts { nodeId, ringUid }. /// We decide allow/deny, log it, and return { granted, message }. /// Replace the in-memory allow-list with a DB table later. /// </summary> [ApiController, Route("api/access")] public class AccessController : ControllerBase { private readonly AppDbContext _db; private static readonly HashSet<string> _allowList = new(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase) { "04A1B2C3D4", // example ring UID }; public AccessController(AppDbContext db) => _db = db; public record AccessRequest(string nodeId, string ringUid); public record AccessReply(bool granted, string message); [HttpPost] public async Task<ActionResult<AccessReply>> Post([FromBody] AccessRequest req) { var granted = _allowList.Contains(req.ringUid); var reason = granted ? "OK" : "Unknown ring"; _db.AccessLogs.Add(new AccessLog { NodeId = req.nodeId, RingUid = req.ringUid, Granted = granted, Reason = reason }); await _db.SaveChangesAsync(); return Ok(new AccessReply(granted, granted ? "Access granted." : "Access denied.")); } [HttpGet("logs")] public Task<List<AccessLog>> GetLogs() => _db.AccessLogs .OrderByDescending(x => x.Timestamp) .Take(100) .ToListAsync(); } }

File:

using EmpireRing.Data; using EmpireRing.Services.AI; using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore; var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args); // EF Core builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(opt => opt.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection"))); // AI clients builder.Services.AddHttpClient<OpenAIClient>(); builder.Services.AddHttpClient<ClaudeClient>(); builder.Services.AddSingleton<AiOrchestrator>(); builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews(); var app = builder.Build(); app.UseHttpsRedirection(); app.UseStaticFiles(); app.MapControllers(); app.MapDefaultControllerRoute(); app.Run();

Add a connection string named DefaultConnection in appsettings.json, run dotnet ef migrations add Init then dotnet ef database update.

2) Raspberry Pi — NFC → Webhook → Servo/Relay agent

File:

# pi_node.py # Purpose: Read NFC UID, call your MVC webhook, and actuate a servo/relay. # Notes: Uses PN532 via SPI/I2C/UART; swap library per your hardware. GPIO uses RPi.GPIO. # For demo, we simulate NFC if hardware not present. import time, json, sys, os, requests from datetime import datetime # ==== CONFIG ==== NODE_ID = os.environ.get("NODE_ID", "pi-gate-01") WEBHOOK_URL = os.environ.get("WEBHOOK_URL", "https://your-domain.com/api/access") SERVO_PIN = int(os.environ.get("SERVO_PIN", "18")) # BCM numbering RELAY_PIN = int(os.environ.get("RELAY_PIN", "23")) USE_SIM = os.environ.get("SIM", "1") == "1" # set SIM=0 on real hardware # ==== GPIO SETUP ==== try: import RPi.GPIO as GPIO GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) GPIO.setup(SERVO_PIN, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.setup(RELAY_PIN, GPIO.OUT) servo = GPIO.PWM(SERVO_PIN, 50) # 50Hz servo.start(0) except Exception as e: print("GPIO not available, running headless:", e) GPIO = None servo = None def servo_open(): if servo: servo.ChangeDutyCycle(7.5) # adjust for your horn position time.sleep(0.5) servo.ChangeDutyCycle(0) def servo_close(): if servo: servo.ChangeDutyCycle(2.5) time.sleep(0.5) servo.ChangeDutyCycle(0) def relay_on(): if GPIO: GPI

utput(RELAY_PIN, GPIO.HIGH) def relay_off(): if GPIO: GPI

utput(RELAY_PIN, GPIO.LOW) # ==== NFC (SIM OR REAL) ==== def read_ring_uid(): if USE_SIM: # Simulate by reading from stdin or cycling demo UIDs demo = ["04A1B2C3D4", "0000000000"] uid = demo[int(time.time()) % 2] print("SIM NFC UID:", uid) time.sleep(2) return uid else: # TODO: integrate actual PN532/MFRC522 library # Example placeholder: # from mfrc522 import SimpleMFRC522 # reader = SimpleMFRC522() # id, text = reader.read() # return format(id, 'X') raise NotImplementedError("Integrate your NFC reader here.") def call_webhook(uid): payload = {"nodeId": NODE_ID, "ringUid": uid} try: r = requests.post(WEBHOOK_URL, json=payload, timeout=10) r.raise_for_status() data = r.json() return bool(data.get("granted")), data.get("message", "") except Exception as e: print("Webhook error:", e) return False, "Webhook error" def main_loop(): print(f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] Pi node starting: {NODE_ID}") try: while True: uid = read_ring_uid() granted, msg = call_webhook(uid) print("Access decision:", granted, msg) if granted: relay_on() servo_open() time.sleep(2) # keep open servo_close() relay_off() else: # brief denial blink or buzzer could go here pass time.sleep(1) except KeyboardInterrupt: pass finally: if servo: servo.stop() if GPIO: GPIO.cleanup() if __name__ == "__main__": main_loop() 

Run it on the Pi:

export NODE_ID=pi-gate-01 export WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-domain.com/api/access python3 pi_node.py 

Set SIM=0 once you wire your NFC module and swap in the correct library.

n8n / Zapier automations (how they glue it all)

n8n flow (private): HTTP Trigger (Access Granted) → MSSQL (insert audit or enrich) → SignalR (Webhook to your MVC to push toast) → Twilio SMS (“Gate opened for UID …”) → Google Sheet (“Incidents”).
Zapier (public-facing): YouTube Upload → extract title/description → Gamma slide update + Notion changelog → Tweet/LinkedIn post → Cloudinary thumbnail resize.

Extra ideas specifically for Empire Ring

Auto-tag all interviews with AiOrchestrator.GenerateTagsAsync; store tags with S3 URLs and timestamps.
Use NotebookLM packs per theme (“Access Control Mythos,” “Technocracy Visual Language”) to keep citations for the white paper.
Run Claude for voiceover rewrites (007 tone) and Gamma to spit out sponsor decks fast after each milestone cut.
A Pi “boardroom totem” node: NFC tap by a member → Pi hits webhook → MVC lights a “Welcome [Name]” scene on a wall display via SignalR; n8n posts a Slack hail.

If you want, I can also drop:

A tiny SignalR hub + JS client that shows real-time “access granted/denied” events on your dashboard.
A DB table for allowed rings + CRUD Razor pages.
A Dockerfile + systemd service for the Pi agent.

Say the word and I’ll generate those files in full, commented, ready to run.

AI Systems and the Empire Ring

Quick guide to the 15 AI systems (what they are + where they shine)​

Best picks for each of your goals​

A) Empire Ring (film + marketing) – recommended stack​

B) ASP.NET Core MVC (Code-First) – recommended stack​

C) Raspberry Pi nodes (Empire Ring NFC + facilities)​

CODE: MVC + AI Orchestrator + Webhook + Pi agent​

1) ASP.NET Core MVC — AI gateway + access webhook​

File:​

File:​

File:​

File:​

File:​

File:​

File:​

File:​

2) Raspberry Pi — NFC → Webhook → Servo/Relay agent​

File:​

n8n / Zapier automations (how they glue it all)​

Extra ideas specifically for Empire Ring​

Similar threads

Quick guide to the 15 AI systems (what they are + where they shine)

Best picks for each of your goals

A) Empire Ring (film + marketing) – recommended stack

B) ASP.NET Core MVC (Code-First) – recommended stack

C) Raspberry Pi nodes (Empire Ring NFC + facilities)

CODE: MVC + AI Orchestrator + Webhook + Pi agent

1) ASP.NET Core MVC — AI gateway + access webhook

File:

File:

File:

File:

File:

File:

File:

File:

2) Raspberry Pi — NFC → Webhook → Servo/Relay agent

File:

n8n / Zapier automations (how they glue it all)

Extra ideas specifically for Empire Ring