# FunctionLayer Projects at AI Tinkerers

> Canonical HTML: https://aitinkerers.org/technologies/functionlayer
> Markdown URL: https://aitinkerers.org/technologies/functionlayer.md
> Technology record last updated: 2026-03-04T19:27:56Z
> Generated: 2026-09-22T07:49:58Z

Define custom, stateless deep learning layers in MATLAB: use `functionLayer` to apply a specified function to your network input.

FunctionLayer is your direct path to custom network layers within the MATLAB Deep Learning Toolbox. It applies a specified function, assigned to the `PredictFcn` property, directly to the layer input (e.g., a novel activation function). This tool is strictly for stateless operations: layers requiring learnable parameters or internal states must use a full custom layer definition. FunctionLayer streamlines prototyping, extending the standard layer library and accelerating model development for complex tasks.

- Official technology site: https://www.mathworks.com/help/deeplearning/ref/functionlayer.html
- Public AI Tinkerers demos and talks: 1
- Result page: 1 of 1

## Recent Public Talks and Demos

### [Using HumanLayer to give agents safe access to high-stakes tools](https://sf.aitinkerers.org/talks/rsvp_CnCcIGUYDbw)

I've been hacking on a python toolkit to enable AI agents to communicate with humans in tool-based and asynchronous workflows. I'll show how HumanLayer can be used to gate access to high-stakes function calls like "email_customer" or "run_production_sql_query", requiring human approval in slack before executing the tool. Time permitting, I'll also go into a (very WIP) version of a more generic "human as tool" that enables an agent to consult various members of a team for advice and questions. I can talk about challenges with different tool-calling models and how we improved agent accuracy in calling the correct tool.

- Event context: AI Tinkerers - San Francisco - August 2024 Meetup — 2024-08-22 — San Francisco
- Public talk page: https://sf.aitinkerers.org/talks/rsvp_CnCcIGUYDbw

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