Lately I have been using AI more in my day to day learning. I typically use it to generate boilerplate code, ask it to explain some concept I’m having trouble grasping in an easier way and fact checking what it says while asking for deeper clarification (why is something done this way, what are others ways it can be done, comparing and contrasting etc. I basically use it as a tutor. I don’t use it to really “do” anything for me. I program most everything by hand and anything that has to do with problem solving I do myself.
But I won’t lie and say I’m not scared of becoming reliant on AI. I think the way I’m using it is pretty good. Improve learning while continue to apply knowledge myself. But I’d like to know where I can improve my AI usage and how you guys are using AI in your workflow. It’s giving me a great deal of anxiety when I read articles about how AI will kill critical thinking skills and what not. I don’t want to avoid it. But I don’t want it to make me stupid.
With coding, results are often proportionate to the quality, thoroughness and structure of my prompts. And much debugging.
With intellectual pursuits, any output of interest or previously unknown nature must be verified. I find the farther I push past the safety rails (always ethically, but often harsh) the greater the inclination to hallucinate, appease/placate or evade through reframing, detours and actually quite a number of clever but counterproductive maneuvers.
But I'd say, have no worries. Critical Thinking to the LLM is copper to the cable. It simply doesn't work without it. And because of this, an unintended benefit comes from exercising one's attentiveness and scrutiny. Just keep in mind that a Pandora's Box exists behind scrutiny. Depending on one's level of patience and persistence, this alone is a deep and fascinating pursuit in itself.
The only way AI will kill a skill is the same as anything else would. It's the underlayment, ie indolence, naivety, etc. For the generally aware, it's a force multiplier and for me, new form of existential mirror.