How to Use AI Without Using Data Centers
V3 of the Critical Thinking Bot is Live!!
Hey folks, so I found that most people assume they have two options when it comes to AI: use ChatGPT, or use something like it. That’s not actually true.
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 considered. No cloud, no subscription, no data leaving your machine.
This matters especially for anyone working with sensitive information like legal documents, proprietary research (hellllllo, keep your IP safe folks!!), confidential strategy, client data, etc. The convenience of cloud AI comes with a trade-off that most organizations/ companies/ people haven’t fully thought through: every prompt you type travels to a data center.
Local AI is the alternative. The model runs on your hardware. Inference, which is the process of generating a response, happens on your device. Nothing is transmitted. For the majority of everyday knowledge work, including project management, summarizing, brainstorming, and thinking through problems, smaller local models are more than capable.
In my latest episode, I break down what local AI is, which tools are worth starting with, and who this actually makes sense for.
The Critical Thinking Bot
Today, Version 3 of the Critical Thinking Bot is available!
This release is a major UX refinement built around one goal: I wanted to make the experience calmer, clearer, and more useful for real critical thinking.
What’s new in Version 3
A cleaner, familiar chat interface with a fixed bottom composer.
A clearer session start: “What do you want to do with your idea today?”
New thinking modes: Clarify, Strengthen, Test, Explore, Decide.
Tools moved into the + menu in the composer for a cleaner flow.
Generating a conclusion is now user-controlled from Tools (no random interruptions mid-conversation).
A better Conclusion Artifact experience in a dedicated modal.
Better exports:
Share cards in multiple formats.
Receipt-style conversation download with date/time for a nostalgic archive feel.
Improved day/night theming and mobile usability.
Why this matters for you all
Most AI tools optimize for speed and confidence, but this one is intentionally designed for the opposite: slowing down, clarifying claims, surfacing assumptions, and testing reasoning before conclusions harden.
If you’ve been using the bot already, thank you. Your feedback directly shaped this release 🥹🫶🏾
Try Version 3 here: criticalthinkingbot.com
If you test it, I’d love your feedback so more people can think critically in the age of AI (just click “+” and then “improve this tool”). If you’re using this tool at work, university, or in the classroom, please, please, pls send me screenshots, testimonials, etc. It helps more than you know!
p.s. I just finished my first hackathon this past weekend 🎉 I built a prototype for something that I believe everyone in the realm of AI safety and governance will use one day! Here is to more humanists hacking for humanity 🥂
Warmly,
Shae
Hi, I’m a PhD Candidate at Harvard. My writing explores how history, ideas, and technology shape our understanding of what it means to be human. You can find me on YouTube, Insta, and Threads. Posts 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!
Podcast
Listen to my podcast called Critical Thinking in the Age of AI (named after my YouTube series here), a repository of my short voice notes on AI, the Humanities, and the Future of Work. Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.