I panicked about AI, so I built this

Dearest Community,

I woke up one day and suddenly everyone was talking about AI.

From cringey Instagram videos—"Here's how I made $5,000 this month using AI agents!!"—to harrowing headlines about mass layoffs from “AI efficiency gains,” it was everywhere.

When the hell did this happen?

A few times a year, I do a "pulse check" on the job market, where I casually scroll through job openings on LinkedIn and Indeed. I've been an entrepreneur for 9 years, and have no real intention of going back to the corporate #girlboss life. But, occasionally, when I'm feeling less ecstatic about the inherently unpredictable life of being self-employed, I peek at what’s out there to confirm that emergency exists still exist.

Usually, it reassures me.

Oh yeah, I could totally do this if I wanted to.

It's enough to quickly satiate my ego and calm my angst—it's comforting knowing you have options, you know? That if I wanted or needed to, I can always go back to the life I used to have.

But my last fake job search didn't go quite as smoothly.

It hadn't been that long since my last pulse check, but somehow, everything seemed to have changed overnight. Most job requirements now included some form of AI skill. There were job titles I'd never even heard of before. I had worked in tech for most of my career, and the vast majority of my previous clients were tech companies. But now the industry felt... different. Distant and out of reach.

I panicked.

Suddenly, I felt like Robert De Niro in The Intern, who tries to "get back in the game," only to realize that his lifelong professional experience was no longer relevant or appreciated.

Have I lost touch with what's current? When did all of this happen? What was I doing while everything shifted? (hint: knitting 🧶)

Staying "relevant" has always felt like a never-ending game of survival in this capitalist system, and I felt like I was on the verge of being chopped.

So, as my friend Corey would say, I started panic hustling.

I sprinted down the rabbit hole, trying to understand what was actually going on with AI. I wasn't trying to become an AI engineer or a "prompting coach." I simply wanted to feel less anxious about the knowledge gap I felt, especially after having taken a good chunk of time off from my career to reset my life (listen to Episode 4: Who Am I Without My Job? to catch up!). I desperately wanted to get back to being "in the know"—whether that meant no longer having to look up every acronym and jargon, or feeling truly confident in my critique of the technology. I wanted to go beyond merely parroting other people’s analysis and feel grounded in my own.

To my surprise, I really enjoyed learning about AI (gasp).

And the more I learned, the more I realized my anxiety wasn't just about my professional relevance. It was about watching one of the most consequential technologies of our lifetime get shaped by a powerful few, while leaving behind a tsunami of irreparable harms disproportionately impacting already marginalized communities.

So I kept digging.

Over the next few months, I learned about the AI supply chain and how its impacts span far beyond chatbots and data centers. I interviewed people inside tech companies and found out how real the pressure to embrace AI had become, even when governance and decision-making frameworks often lagged far behind the hype. I talked to people in movement work and nonprofits about their AI concerns—about all of its harms and risks but also its potential to ease their perpetual resource constraints.

What became clear to me, is that though the cursory use of AI is omnipresent, the surrounding ethical frameworks, governance guardrails, and decision principles often lack rigor and depth.

I could relate to this reality on a personal level, too.

As I learned and experimented with AI tools—from chatbots to local LLM to automated workflows—I felt a mix of awe and shame. I knew my use of generative AI, however limited or controlled, was not harmless. I had to confront the reality where so much of the technology is rooted in IP theft, labor exploitation, and environmental damage.

But if I'm being really honest, I also didn't want to just give up on a technology this influential, especially one that made my life, well, easier.

So herein lies the fundamental, agonizing question:

Is it possible to use AI and remain in alignment with our social justice values?

Is opting out the only ethical choice, and is that even possible when AI is being embedded into every single system we use, with or without our consent? And if we choose to engage, how do we define our boundaries and how do we keep ourselves accountable? And what role must social justice advocates play in shaping, resisting, or redirecting this technology before its harms become even more potent and scaled?

I've been grappling with questions like these for months. And every time I feel close to clarity, something new pops up—a new research study, a new tool, a new legal case, a new example of harm—that complicates everything again.

What I needed was not more information, but a set of principles. Reliable frameworks and tools. I wanted to develop a sharper lens to analyze the changing impacts of AI and make grounded choices amid complexity and contradictions.

And I knew I wasn't the only one. Many people I talked to felt "behind" on a conversation that, in reality, is still in its infancy—still malleable, and urgently needing to be stewarded by more people who care about protecting our humanity. But I'm nervous the window won't be open for long.

With this sense of urgency, I spent the last few months developing a teachable knowledge base. It's ambitious, and I'm honestly really proud of how much I've learned and what I've created.

Today, I'm equal parts excited and nervous to share The AI Strategy Lab for Social Justice Advocates with you: a 4-part live online workshop series for change agents who want to understand AI with more clarity, rigor, and courage.

It's an accessible introduction to AI, analyzed through a social justice lens. I’ll be sharing a set of tools to evaluate AI's impacts (both good and bad) and practical frameworks to help you make grounded decisions. The program isn't about learning "how to use AI," but rather locating ourselves in the broader context of AI and building the capacity to ask better questions and make honest choices for ourselves, our workplaces, and communities.

It’s been some time since I facilitated a multi-day learning series! And I'm really looking forward to learning with other values-aligned people who care deeply about critical thinking and actionable strategies around AI. If you’ve been feeling behind, conflicted, skeptical, curious, or alarmed by the speed of AI adoption, you’re not alone and this space is for you.

I firmly believe that social justice advocates do not need to become AI evangelists. But we do need enough understanding, discernment, and collective strategy to intervene in what is being built, normalized, and imposed.

If you want to know where to begin, I hope you’ll join the inaugural cohort, which begins June 4th. Come and let's learn together. Bring your questions, your skepticism, your values, and your deep commitment to our collective future. I hope to see some of you there.

What is your current relationship with AI? Reply to the email and let me know!

In community,

Michelle

P.S. As a thank you, I'm offering a one-time 10% discount code to all paying subscribers of my newsletter. If you're a paying subscriber and would like to enroll, please email me for the code. Thank you <3

P.P.S. In case you're wondering, no, AI didn't write this. Yes, I still love my em-dashes.

1. Are We In Enemy Territory?

In the U.S., 53% of adults describe fellow citizens as morally bad than morally good. We’re the only country out of the 25 countries surveyed where more people described others living in the same country as bad than good—meaning, we’re living in a society where the default orientation toward others is mistrust. By comparison: 92% of Canadians, 83% of Mexicans, and 82% of British people rate their fellow citizens as morally good.

2. “Soft Socializing” is In
There’s no doubt people are craving real-life connection, but many don’t want the pressure to socialize. According to Eventbrite, activity-based social gatherings are spiking: “coffee clubbing” alone is up 478%, flower arranging events up 282%, puzzle competitions up 151%. People want to shared experiences where connection happens organically.

3. Young Adults Are Not Alright
According to the latest Pew research, roughly 1 in 3 young adults in the U.S. rate their mental health as fair or poor, the highest recorded. Roughly half (47%) of adults under 30 say managing stress in their lives is a major challenge to taking care of their health.

What I’m taking away:
It’s no surprise that people—especially young adults—are exhausted. They want IRL experiences that are less daunting, low stakes, and fun. At the same time, we’re maintaining insularity. We crave spaces that feel safe, familiar, and don’t require high emotional risk taking. How does this change the way we build community? Share resources? Will we ever be able to solve the nationwide polarization?

Every night, my partner and I ask each other about our favorite parts of the day—this small ritual reminds me to pay attention to the tiniest moments of joy that make my life beautiful and worth celebrating. Here are some very ordinary moments from my life that made me happy recently:

Wishing you many tiny moments of joy this week -

Michelle

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