#19 High Agency: how I used AI agents to build a fake startup and take control of my life

#19 High Agency: how I used AI agents to build a fake startup and take control of my life

High Agency: Building a Fake Startup with AI Agents, To Take Back Control of Your Life (JEN_AI Episode #19) Jenni Munroe uses AI agents in Claude CoWork to automate her fake startup’s idea-to-experiment workflow and questions who should be in the driver’s seat of our lives.  She contrasts “high agency” with hustle culture and shares leaving a well-paid Google job via UK voluntary redundancy to regain control of her health amid parental and work burnout. She defines AI agents as multi-step, tool-using systems driven by goal-checking loops, compares Claude’s ecosystem with OpenAI and Google, and describes an agent ordering merch via browser control. Her agent setup generated pitches, plans, website mockups, outreach messages, a Substack draft, and tailored social posts for her projects like a sensory survival toolkit, while she warns about safety, security, and over-automating personal content. The episode also touches on her using some of her new-found freedom to return to aerial circus gymnastics and features Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” as the agent-chosen theme song, plus a call to subscribe and share. Full written newsletter + the 5-step AI setup → [link [http://jenaihacks.substack.com]] Theme song: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk → The JEN_AI Mixtape [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4b8an9cbJc4C2pJnhI2Mxh?go=1&sp_cid=61f20b1c801b3e2d1166f860e0e21f0d&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=301a5a303a1e4bbd] Subscribe [http://jenaihacks.substack.com] (free) so the next experiment lands in your inbox. 00:00 Who's in the driver's seat? 00:59 What Is JEN_AI? 02:08 High Agency: A Thought Piece 03:53 Burnout and Leaving Google 06:42 AI as Leverage Not Saviour 08:28 What Counts as an Agent? 10:15 Building a Fake Startup 12:22 Automation Ethics and Safety 14:40 Aerial Circus Embodiment 15:28 Bots Pick the Theme Song 16:23 What Next This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jenaihacks.substack.com [https://jenaihacks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#18 Real Human Zine

JEN_AI Challenge #18: Zine Machine: Social Media Slides vs. Printed Pocket Zines, SXSW Takeaways, and Real HeroesIn episode 18 of A Real Human Zine, Jenni Munroe (ex- Google / DeepMind) explores turning a newsletter or photos into social media carousels and printed mini zines as an antidote to “AI slop” and phone addiction, using tools like Canva or vibe-coded apps built with Google AI Studio (with cautions about reliability, security, version control, and spending limits). She argues for a revival of pocketable print zine booklets inspired by Charles Dickens’ serialized publishing, and shares examples including SXSW slides, an AI product announcements explainer, an Instagram story sequence, an A4 fold-and-slice eight-page zine, and a colouring book. She recaps SXSW Austin / London themes (genre-collisions, AI’s impact, IRL community & events, distribution vs. product, agentmaxxing, wellness socials etc). She emphasizes the importance of meeting strangers not just your heroes, then reflects on “real heroes” as often underpaid and overworked, citing the Matilda Effect, and reveals the theme song “A Real Hero.” 00:00 JEN_AI Challenge #18: Digital vs. Physical Zines 01:32 Why Print Is Back 02:04 Publish Like It's 1899 03:01 Behind The Zines 03:49 Vibe Coding Workflow 04:39 Zine Experiments 07:36 SXSW Festival Takeaways 09:55 Meet Your Heroes 12:14 The Privilege of Being IRL 13:58 See The Real Heroes 15:50 Soundtrack And Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jenaihacks.substack.com [https://jenaihacks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#17: Socially Challenged

Challenge #17: Social Media Makeover (How To Build a Personal Brand, including An AI-Vibecoded Instagram-Roast App and Human LinkedIn Actual-Expert Advice)Jenni Munroe, the ex-Google/DeepMind GenAI experimentalist behind JEN_AI, tackles “Challenge 17: Social Media Makeover” by asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Instagram social media influencers and LinkedIn experts to roast and improve her social presence, including vibe-coding a sassy Instagram critique app in Google's AI Studio.  She shares key guidance on setting up socials seriously, outlines LinkedIn upgrades and Instagram setup. She critiques the viral growth “industrialized process,” notes risks like algorithm dependence and privacy issues, and reframes personal branding as service and community. Theme track: “Human Nature - Ambient” by StayUnseen. 00:00 Social Media Makeover Challenge 00:30 What Is JEN_AI? 01:45 Why Social Matters Now 03:40 Building The Instagram Roast App 04:36 Social Starter Growth Tips 06:15 LinkedIn Profile Fixes 07:10 Instagram Profile Tips 08:56 Antisocial Media Reality 12:46 Community > Followers 13:58 Trending Track 14:57 What To Do Next This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jenaihacks.substack.com [https://jenaihacks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#16 | Not Your Local NewsAgents

JEN_AI Challenge #16: Building Personalized Automated News Agents (and Why It Might Be a Terrible Idea)Jenni Munroe shows how to create personalized automated “news agents” and discusses AI & tech threats to journalism, partly through the lens of the recent Devil Wears Prada movie sequel which has a similar theme. She demonstrates a simple method for scheduling daily/weekly briefings in the Google Gemini app and shares experiments: a weekly fact-checking roundup of The Diary of a CEO podcast episodes, daily global headlines/markets with linked sources and audio playback, a daily AI/frontier tech briefing, a calendar/to-do morning briefing that initially hallucinated events, and a local family-activities/weather concierge. She contrasts automated roundups with human editorial voice (including Caroline Crampton’s newsletter), discusses the life imitating art imitating life in Devil Wears Prada 2 and this week's Met Gala fashion event billionaire protests, and closes with trending music picks and where to follow the show. 00:00 Intro: Exploring Automated News  00:26 What Is JEN_AI 01:06 News Agents Explained 01:43 Journalism Meets AI 03:48 Gemini Scheduled Briefings 05:11 Experiment: Podcast Fact Check 07:14 Experiment: Headlines & Markets 08:14 Experiment: AI Tech Briefing 09:15 Experiment: Personal Morning Work Briefing 09:54 Experiment: Local Concierge 10:38 More Advanced Agents 11:42 Human Curation Matters 13:06 Devil Wears Prada 2 Spoilers 17:37 Tech Billionaire & Politics Context 18:50 Movie Takeaways Teaser 20:56 Topical Tunes Soundtrack 22:15 Wrap Up, Stay In Touch This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jenaihacks.substack.com [https://jenaihacks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

[#15] Making It Over, Again

Episode 15: A Bathrobed Keynote, How to use AI to Make Tech Products, Leaving Google, and The Devil Wears Prada Meets Silicon Valley In episode 15 of JEN_AI, Jenni Munroe (formerly Google/DeepMind) recounts giving a main-stage keynote at Future Product Days in Copenhagen wearing a bathrobe and dog slippers while demoing how AI tools can help anyone create a product, using a makeup/wardrobe “makeover” app and an onstage outfit transformation with audience volunteers.  She shares a three-step framework - define the problem with Gemini Deep Research, build a prototype in Google AI Studio, and create a promo video with Flow or Google Vids - plus tips.  She reflects on the talk, leaving Google, and revisting 'The Devil Wears Prada' after 20 years in honor of the upcoming sequel. She describes a failed attempt to get Gemini to reproduce the Devil Wears Prada “blue sweater” speech, notes Allbirds’ surprise pivot to “Bird AI” cloud GPUs, and shares a themed soundtrack. 00:00 The Fluffy Bathrobe Keynote Speech 01:04 Who Is JEN_AI? 01:57 How The Talk Happened 03:18 Three Steps To Build Your Own Products With Google AI Tools 03:44 Problem Research With Google Gemini 04:33 Prototype With Google AI Studio 05:09 Promo Video With Google Flow 05:49 Tips And Tool Comparisons 07:28 How It Went And Lessons 10:11 Remaking Work And Life 11:07 Devil Wears Prada Skit Fail 14:02 Allbirds Shoes Pivot To GPUs 14:50 Soundtrack Picks And Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jenaihacks.substack.com [https://jenaihacks.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]