Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

Who Pays When AI Takes the Jobs? The Token Tax, Explained

Three-quarters of all U.S. federal tax revenue comes from labor. So what happens when AI starts replacing the workers that revenue depends on? In this episode, Shae breaks down a January 2026 Brookings Institution paper on the future of tax policy in the age of AI — walking through five proposed AI taxes, explaining exactly how a token tax works and when it does not, and asking the harder question underneath all of it: fund government to do what, and for whom? * "The Future of Tax Policy: A Public Finance Framework for the Age of AI" , Anton Korinek & Lee Lockwood, Brookings Institution (January 2026) - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/future-tax-policy-a-public-finance-framework-for-the-age-of-ai/ [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/future-tax-policy-a-public-finance-framework-for-the-age-of-ai/] * Companion Technical Working Paper, Korinek & Lockwood, Brookings Institution (January 2026) - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/public-finance-age-ai-primer [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/public-finance-age-ai-primer] Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo [https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo]  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/ [https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/]  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo [https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo] Email: pr@iamshaeo.com [pr@iamshaeo.com] 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun]  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo [https://stan.store/iamshaeo]  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide [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 [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/critical-thinking-skills-in-the-age-of-ai]  Beginner’s Guide to LocalAI: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/a-beginners-guide-to-local-ai- [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/a-beginners-guide-to-local-ai-]  Check out my Bookshop curated reading lists: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/p/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!

Before You Use Local AI, You Need to Know This

Hey folks, you asked for Part 2, and here it is. This episode is the context that makes the local AI discussion actually make sense: what the open-source AI ecosystem is, where it comes from, how to navigate it without making expensive mistakes, and why using local AI and commercial AI together is not a contradiction. A lot covered here!! Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo [https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo]  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/ [https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/]  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo [https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo] Email: pr@iamshaeo.com [pr@iamshaeo.com] 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun]  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo [https://stan.store/iamshaeo]  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide [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 [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 [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!

Notion vs. Obsidian: Which One Actually Supports Deep Thinking?

WELCOME TO MY STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS! Sorry for the singing, but the substance is there 🥹 Most people treat Notion versus Obsidian as a choice you have to make once. It is not. They are designed for completely different kinds of work, and understanding that distinction will change how you use both of them. Listen to LocalAI episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21VJtZszaI Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo [https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo]  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/ [https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/]  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo [https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo] Email: pr@iamshaeo.com [pr@iamshaeo.com] 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun]  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo [https://stan.store/iamshaeo]  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide [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 [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 [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!

The Ant Company: Why Small and Focused Beats Scale Right Now

The traditional full-time job is not disappearing overnight, but the conditions that made it stable are changing faster than most people realize. In this episode, I break down what the gig economy data actually says, why AI is accelerating the disaggregation of knowledge work specifically, and why the most strategic response is not to chase scale but to build with precision. She introduces the concept of the Ant Company: small, focused, community-rooted, and increasingly powerful in a landscape that AI is reorganizing from the bottom up. Sources Referenced: * Upwork / Freelancers Union Future Workforce Report: https://www.upwork.com/research/future-workforce-index-2025 [https://www.upwork.com/research/future-workforce-index-2025] * Freelance Economy Statistics, DemandSage (2025): https://www.demandsage.com/gig-economy-statistics/ [https://www.demandsage.com/gig-economy-statistics/] * Gig Economy Statistics, Pebl / Velocity Global (2025) — https://hellopebl.com/resources/blog/gig-economy-statistics/ [https://hellopebl.com/resources/blog/gig-economy-statistics/] * Proverbs 30:25, ESV — https://www.bible.com/bible/59/pro.30.25.ESV [https://www.bible.com/bible/59/pro.30.25.ESV] Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo [https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo]  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/ [https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/]  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo [https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo] Email: pr@iamshaeo.com [pr@iamshaeo.com] 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun]  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo [https://stan.store/iamshaeo]  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide [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 [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 [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!

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.ai [https://www.jan.ai] * Locally AI (on-device AI for iPhone, iPad, and Mac): https://locallyai.app [https://locallyai.app] * Obsidian (local-first knowledge management): https://obsidian.md [https://obsidian.md] * Featherless AI (catalog of 26,000+ open-source models): https://featherless.ai [https://featherless.ai] Follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamshaeo/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo [https://www.youtube.com/@iamshaeo]  Subscribe to my Newsletter: https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/ [https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/]  Buy Me a Matcha:  https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo [https://buymeacoffee.com/iamshaeo] Email: pr@iamshaeo.com [pr@iamshaeo.com] 1:1 Support Book a 1:1 Call with me: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun [https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/bookacall-7xv4fsun]  Check out my Stan store: https://stan.store/iamshaeo [https://stan.store/iamshaeo]  Guides AI for Humanists: https://stan.store/iamshaeo/p/ai-resource-learning-guide [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 [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 [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!