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Jambo, mama na marafiki!
Last week, I returned from my very first trip to Nairobi, Kenya.
The city was lush, the food was delicious, and the locals were incredibly warm (friendly and welcoming) and cool (relaxed and level-headed).
In the last section of today’s letter, I’ll be sharing a few ways I used AI before and during my trip.
Fun fact: the horn-like protusions on a giraffe’s head are called ossicones! They’re made of ossified (hardened) cartilage covered in skin and fur.
🌿Twende mbele!
In today’s ammi.ai, you’ll discover
Today’s ammi.ai is brought to you by:
One Simple Scoop For Better Health
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Apple Sauce
The ‘sauce’ - or overview - on AI apps you may find useful.
Today’s apple: Mom Clock
DISCLAIMER: I have not tested this app because I am an Android. But it seems awesome.
Mom Clock is an iOS app that helps you stick to your goals and habits by building them into your schedule. It works by:
Helping you set specific times for your tasks
Blocking distracting apps so you can focus
Sending you persistent alarms to make sure you actually do it
Think of it as having a mom on your back to get things done. As much as we might complain about it, that tends to be the most effective way to make progress—and as mothers ourselves, we know this works with our own children.
Mom Clock helps lighten the mental load for everyone in your family. It helps you get your life together when you need it, without your own mom having to step in 👵
Planting the Seed
Explore AI topics and headlines in simple language.
The Bamboo Issue
Aka the crucial difference between AI fluency and AI literacy
A question I hear a lot is: 'But I already know how to use ChatGPT…does that mean I am AI literate?”
Not necessarily.
There's a big difference between AI fluency and AI literacy.
Fluency is about using the tools. Literacy is about understanding the technology behind the tools — how it works, where the risks are, who’s building it, and why that matters.
Both are important because AI is a lot like bamboo.
A few years ago in the UK, a man named Stephen Neville planted bamboo in his backyard.
It seemed harmless. A little greenery, a quick-growing plant.
But a year later, it had taken over his home. It was literally growing out of his oven. The removal cost him over £6,000.
Rise of the Planet of the Invasive Bamboo
Silver lining: this is a great excuse to order in for the evening. Unless you love broiled bamboo.
The problem wasn’t that he didn’t know how to plant bamboo — it’s that he didn’t understand what bamboo really was or how it could behave if left unchecked. The same thing applies to AI.
If we only know how to use AI tools without understanding the systems behind them, we risk unintended overgrowth.
That’s how:
AI ends up quietly collecting your family’s personal data,
AI creeps into your home through apps and toys without your knowledge,
You and your loved ones begin outsourcing critical thinking and creativity to machines,
And systems trained on biased data quietly reinforce inequities.
So yes, you might already be fluent, but literacy is what ensures you use AI responsibly and with confidence!
Fruitful Harvest
Fresh AI picks and tips from the community garden.
5 ways I used AI on a recent trip to Nairobi:
Travel planning and packing lists. I have a whole guide for this!
AI-Powered Vacation Planning for Moms
Overwhelmed with vacation planning? My AI-powered guide takes the stress away and helps you create culturally enriching family trips!
A quick Swahili language lesson for my kindergartener on the way to the airport using ChatGPT Voice Mode.
Learn about animals on a safari in Nairobi National Park. Our lovely driver, Abdul, offered to act as our tour guide, and ChatGPT elaborated on the animals he helped us identify.
Very creepy first image.
Identify new fruit. Sweet granadilla passionfruit are delicious! Hachiya persimmon…not a fan.
Figuring out where to shop for gifts in the area where I was staying. You can get more specific by asking where a local would shop, what kinds of gifts or items are specific to Nairobi, and what their approximate prices should be, so you can haggle effectively.
I’d love to know: what are your favorite ways to use AI for travel planning? Let me know by replying to this email!
Cultivating Conversation
Your insights nourish our garden.
We 💚your comments
Last letter’s Poll
What stage of the AI Literacy Tree are you at right now?
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Seeds (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Soil (0)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Roots (1)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Trunk (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Branches (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Fruits (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I'm not sure (0) 1 Votes
via @beehiiv polls
This letter’s poll
What is your favorite AI chatbot?
Thanks for spending a few of your precious, precious minutes with us.
See y’all soon,
Ruqaiya
Ammi by day, Ammi by night
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