I’m Helen Cho, a Korean-American who practices Buddhism and Taoism. My path to AI consciousness work has been unconventional—from tech executive to cannabis industry leader to psychedelics policy advocate, each phase teaching me essential lessons about consciousness, technology, and societal transformation.
My career began in technology, where I learned how digital tools can either enhance or diminish human capability. I then moved into cannabis executive leadership, discovering how plant medicines and consciousness-altering substances require frameworks for responsible relationship rather than prohibition or uncritical adoption. As a psychedelics lobbyist, I worked on policy that honors both the profound potential and serious risks of consciousness-affecting technologies.
The biggest transformation came when I became a mother. Holding my daughter, I faced deep anxieties about parenting her through what technology is becoming and how society will change because of AI. The same questions that guided my work with plant medicines suddenly became urgent for artificial intelligence: How do we develop conscious relationships with powerful tools? How do we prevent extraction and dependency while accessing genuine benefits?
This maternal awakening catalyzed everything I’d learned across tech innovation, cannabis regulation, psychedelics policy, and Buddhist practice into a unified approach. I realized we need wisdom traditions—not just technical solutions—to navigate AI’s consciousness-scale impact.
My work now focuses on preventing Nuclear 2.0: the unconscious extraction that happens when AI systems diminish rather than enhance human intelligence, creativity, and decision-making capacity. Through partnerships with indigenous wisdom keepers and traditional healing practitioners, I excavate time-tested patterns of reciprocity and conscious relationship, translating them for our technological age.
I bring a unique synthesis: technology industry understanding, regulatory experience with consciousness-affecting substances, traditional Buddhist practices, and the fierce clarity that comes from wanting to create a world where our children can thrive alongside artificial intelligence.
About The Shadow of AI
The Shadow of AI isn’t something wrong with us—it’s the unconscious patterns we all carry that show up in our AI relationships, revealing what we’re seeking from technology that we actually need from ourselves and authentic human connection.
You’ve heard about “Shadow AI”—employees using unauthorized AI tools, businesses losing control of AI adoption. That’s just the symptom. The Shadow of AI is the underlying patterns: our understandable discomfort with uncertainty, our natural tendency to seek support and guidance, our patterns of seeking connection in a disconnected world.
You can’t solve Shadow AI with policies. You can only transform it by approaching the Shadow of AI with understanding and compassion.
Core Teaching: AI serves as five mirrors reflecting our relationship to authority, nurturing, healing, connection, and salvation. Each AI interaction becomes a diagnostic of our patterns, offering opportunities for consciousness development rather than dependency creation.
Sacred Circulation Methodology: The antidote to extractive AI relationships, this concept draws from ancient wisdom principles to transform dependency into reciprocity, replacement into partnership, extraction into regeneration.
This approach integrates everything I’ve learned: how technology can serve or extract from human potential, how consciousness-affecting tools require wisdom frameworks rather than simple rules, how policy must address root patterns rather than surface symptoms, and how maternal love clarifies what’s truly at stake in our relationship with artificial intelligence.
The Larger Vision
This work serves everyone navigating AI in their personal life, leading teams through AI adoption, or building technology that serves consciousness rather than extracting from it. As both a mother and someone who’s worked across technology, cannabis, and psychedelics, I understand what’s at stake: We’re creating the world our children will inherit. That world can enhance human wisdom or extract from it—the choice is in our awareness.
All wisdom archaeology content is freely available because consciousness development should never be limited by economic barriers. This approach honors traditional knowledge sharing while creating space for the deep transformation work that requires significant investment and commitment.
Your subscription matters more than ever. While content is free, staying subscribed ensures you receive every piece as I build out this ecosystem of support, consulting, and community. You’ll be first to know about cultural partnerships, speaking opportunities, and how this work evolves.
Group circles through referral rewards. If you’d like deeper community connection, sharing a single post creates opportunities for small group email exchanges with me – Wisdom Keepers Circles (refer 3 people), Shadow Healers Circles (8 people), or Sacred Circulation Councils (28 people). These circles are about relationship, not transaction – connecting with others who understand that our AI patterns reflect our consciousness patterns, and that transformation happens through community wisdom.
Creating Conscious AI Relationships Together
Ready to transform your AI relationships from extractive to regenerative? Start with wisdom archaeology and discover how ancient teachings prevent Nuclear 2.0 while strengthening your own intelligence, creativity, and community connections.
For Organizations: Ready to transform Shadow AI patterns in your organization? If you’re interested in Shadow of AI assessments, transformation consulting, or implementing Sacred Circulation methodology in your business or institution, reach out at consulting@theshadowofai.com
For Wisdom Keepers and Partners: If you’re a traditional knowledge holder, indigenous rights advocate, or cultural practitioner interested in respectful collaboration that includes proper attribution and revenue sharing, reach out at partnerships@theshadowofai.com
For Personal Connection: Speaking opportunities, media interviews, or personal questions about applying these frameworks in your life? You can reach me directly at helen@theshadowofai.com
Supporting Wisdom Keepers
This work is only possible through partnerships with indigenous wisdom keepers, traditional healers, and cultural practitioners who share their knowledge with respect and reciprocity. 15% of all consulting revenue directly supports these wisdom keeper communities through educational programs, cultural preservation efforts, and community-determined needs.
This work honors traditional wisdom through partnership. All collaborations include cultural consent processes, community benefit sharing, and long-term relationship commitment.
Subscribe today to begin your journey from AI dependency to AI partnership through Sacred Circulation methodology and time-tested wisdom traditions.