Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

Shae Omonijo
  • 4.9 (15)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Voice notes from your favorite humanist and Harvard PhD Candidate on the AI developments that actually matter! Each episode, I break down what’s happening in AI, from new research to policy shifts to workplace transformations, and explain what it means through a humanities lens. No hype, no jargon, just clear thinking about how AI is reshaping work, knowledge, and society. If you like to think critically about the future, this place is for you!

  1. MAR 9

    How to Use AI Without Using Data Centers: A Beginner's Guide to Local and Offline AI

    There's an entire ecosystem of AI tools, many of them free, open-source, and running entirely on your own device, that most people have never heard of. This episode breaks down what local AI is, what you give up when you use it, and which tools are worth trying today. Including Jan.ai, Locally AI for Apple devices, and Obsidian for local project management. If your AI use involves anything sensitive, this episode is for you. Sources Referenced Jan.ai (open-source, offline AI assistant for Mac, Windows, Linux): https://www.jan.aiLocally AI (on-device AI for iPhone, iPad, and Mac): https://locallyai.appObsidian (local-first knowledge management): https://obsidian.mdFeatherless AI (catalog of 26,000+ open-source models): https://featherless.aiFollow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists  *This post may contain Bookshop affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

    21 min

  2. FEB 27

    Uncovering the Plan to Keep You in the Dark About AI | IASEAI Day 2 Recap

    There's a concept that reframes everything you thought you knew about AI transparency and it came from one of the most powerful talks on AI I've ever witnessed in person. At the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI conference in Paris, former White House OSTP Director Dr. Alondra Nelson introduced the concept of algorithmic agnotology: the deliberate, strategic production of ignorance by AI companies to avoid accountability. It's not just corporate spin, but a system. Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists  *This post may contain Bookshop affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

    17 min

  3. FEB 26

    AI Safety Is Failing. Yoshua Bengio & Experts Explain Why | IASEAI 2026 Day 1 Recap

    What is actually happening at the frontier of AI safety research? I attended Day One of IASEAI 2026, the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI, in Paris, and I'm breaking down everything you need to know. Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists  *This post may contain Bookshop affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

    21 min
  4. Something Bigger Than AI is Happening. You've Been Warned.

    FEB 16

    Something Bigger Than AI is Happening. You've Been Warned.

    I just published this essay and I wanted to publish the audio version so it can reach as many people as possible. Read + Share this essay, please: https://open.substack.com/pub/shaeomonijo/p/something-bigger-than-ai-is-happening?r=2ptp7i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists

    21 min

  5. FEB 16

    The Real Crisis Isn’t AI, It’s Us

    We blame students for using ChatGPT to write essays. We shame people for turning to AI companions. We criticize workers for automating emails. But what if the real problem isn't individual moral failure per se, but moreso that generative AI is exposing incentive structures that were already broken? **I recorded this voice note a week ago. Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists

    24 min

  6. FEB 13

    Who Controls AI? Mark Carney, Davos, and the Case for AI Sovereignty

    In this episode, I unpack Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos and explore what they reveal about AI sovereignty, decentralization, and the global race between the United States and China. As AI infrastructure consolidates around a handful of powerful labs, countries and individuals are facing a deeper structural question: who controls intelligence infrastructure? Sorry, I have a bit of a cold, but still wanted to get this voice note out to you all. Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists

    14 min

  7. FEB 1

    AI Agents Created Their Own Religion (Moltbook, OpenClaw, Clawdbot)

    AI agents just created their own religion. On a social network called Moltbook, autonomous AI powered by OpenClaw spontaneously formed "Crustafarianism" complete with scriptures, prophets, and encrypted communication to hide from humans. But before you panic about the AI apocalypse, let's cut through the hype and talk about what's actually happening. IBM: "OpenClaw: The viral 'space lobster' agent testing limits" - https://www.ibm.com/think/news/clawdbot-ai-agent-testing-limits-vertical-integration 404 Media Reporting on Moltbook database: https://www.404media.co/exposed-moltbook-database-let-anyone-take-control-of-any-ai-agent-on-the-site/ Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists

    19 min

  8. JAN 30

    How to Get Disgustingly Educated in Anything This Year

    How does a historian learn AI research well enough to contribute meaningfully to policy conversations? In this episode, I share the six-step self-education framework I used to move into a completely new field, and how you can apply it to learn anything deeply. We're living in an autodidact period where universities can't teach everything you want to know, especially about AI. This is about cultivating intellectual health, resisting the outsourcing of critical thinking, and getting disgustingly educated in whatever calls to you, not for credentials, but for intellectual sovereignty!! Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo Email: pr@iamshaeo.com 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide Critical Thinking Skills Guide: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/reading-lists

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Voice notes from your favorite humanist and Harvard PhD Candidate on the AI developments that actually matter! Each episode, I break down what’s happening in AI, from new research to policy shifts to workplace transformations, and explain what it means through a humanities lens. No hype, no jargon, just clear thinking about how AI is reshaping work, knowledge, and society. If you like to think critically about the future, this place is for you!

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