ELI5

Anthropic researcher Thariq shared a prompt skill called `/eli5` that generates simple, visual explanations of complex topics, and a test on neural networks produced a clear dataflow diagram after one follow-up request to fix colors. The skill strips out formulas and math, making it useful for learning and collaboration.

ELI5 Thariq at Anthropic posted https://x.com/trq212/status/2090884854590382515 that it’s a skill people there have been using a lot recently: /eli5 <what you want to explain . I tried it on neural networks. Here’s what it made https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/dedbd15e-76ff-4cdf-9ac7-eaf317d947e4 . The first pass had bad colors, low contrast, hard to read. One follow-up prompt asking for a color fix and it was done. No formulas, no sigmoid, no softmax, none of the math that actually makes a neural network work. It’s missing for good. What’s left is the dataflow — inputs go in, get combined, come out the other end as a decision — drawn simply enough to follow at a glance. That’s the trade the skill makes, and it’s the right one for someone who isn’t about to read a textbook. eli5 is good exactly because it throws out the complexity most explanations lead with. I imagine this isn’t just for self-learning — it’s a genuinely useful tool for collaboration, communication, meetings. Conveying an idea isn’t easy. ;P Updated at 2026-08-23. The neural network example is ported to julin.ai /2026/08/23/neural-network-eli5/ now.