Slow AI
Knowing when to use AI and when to leave it the hell alone.
What Slow AI is
Slow AI is a Substack newsletter about critical AI literacy. It is for educators, researchers, professionals, and anyone who wants to think clearly about AI instead of being sold to.
The free newsletter covers AI ethics, synthetic empathy, critical thinking, and the human cost of automation. Every post includes practical exercises you can try with any AI tool.
The paid edition goes deeper. Friday is free and always will be. Wednesday is the piece that goes further, and that one is for paid subscribers, along with the complete archive and an answer whenever you email me. £100 a year, or £10 a month.
Who reads it
People who use AI every day and have started to distrust it without being able to say why. It flatters you. It agrees with the plan. You have caught it inventing a figure, and now you do not know which of the other figures to believe.
Teachers whose institution has no AI policy, or has one nobody reads, and who are expected to say where the line sits anyway.
People whose craft is the thing AI is supposedly best at. Writing, analysis, research, review. You can feel which tasks are safe to hand over and which ones were teaching you something.
Anyone tired of being asked to pick a side. The people selling it and the people warning about it are both too loud, and neither is much use at 09:00 on Monday.
Read before you subscribe
What Is Critical AI Literacy?
The keystone post. What it means, why it matters, and how to build it.
The Humanities Are the Moat
Judging AI output takes the interpretive skill the humanities teach, the skill we spent two decades defunding.
We Are Using the Wrong Words for AI
Intelligence, hallucination, agent. The words we use for AI hide how it works and who is accountable.
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Friday's post is free and always will be. Wednesday's is for paid members, at £100 a year or £10 a month, and comes with the whole archive.
Subscribe to Slow AIWhat others are saying
"For those feeling wary of speed, hype, or pressure to adopt AI wholesale, we especially want to highlight the work of Sam Illingworth, who writes the Slow AI Substack. His framework invites educators to pause, reflect, and ask harder questions about what we gain, and what we risk losing, when we integrate AI into our work."
Furman University (institutional faculty recommendation)
"Your work consistently slows me down in the best way. You write about AI with care, curiosity, and humanity, creating room for reflection instead of urgency. That feels rare, and very worth supporting."
Jessica
"Your writing creates a rare space where AI is approached with care, intellectual honesty, and respect for human judgement. This perspective directly supports my work with people and organisations by helping me articulate blind spots, assumptions, and decision-making dynamics."
Jukka
"Sam is possibly the best thing about Substack. He's created the best community, incredibly valuable content and is an expert at what he does."
The Strategic Linguist (Rebecca Wicker)
"I signed up for the certificate and it feels like I have found a raft in the ocean of AI hot takes. Not exaggerating when I say I feel like you’ve saved my relationship with my job."
Louisa, Higher Education Professional
Sponsor Slow AI
A small number of posts carry a sponsor. Placements are written by me, introduced in a sentence that connects them to the post, and only accepted from organisations whose work is consistent with critical AI literacy. There is no generic ad copy and no programmatic advertising.
Formats, pricing, audience data, and what I will not accept are all on the sponsorship page.
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A free post every Friday, and the main piece on Wednesday for members. Membership is £100 a year.