the whole "writing is thinking" argument hits different when you realize we're all basically outsorcing our cognitive load to ai without building any actual muscle memory or intuition, it's like using a calculator for 2+2 and wondering why you can't do mental math anymore. your point about information gaps becoming obvious mid-senntence is spot on; that uncomfortable pause when you realize you don't actually understand what you're talking about is where the real learning happens. honestly this feels like a weird modern twist on the old marshmallow experiment (we're trading long-term knowledge retention for the immediate gratification of having a thing built quickly)
Fantastic piece, Jack! You have so well articulated a concern that has weighed on me as I adopt AI into my work and life...that decoupling of knowledge acquisition from the end product. Bookmarking this one.
Your point is also valid for technical folks. I just started my career as a software engineer and that’s a real concern. We use Cursor all day long and I can’t help but think that spending our time delegating the thinking will have a terrible impact on learning.
I am much more productive than my senior colleagues when they were at my stage thanks to AI. But are my skills progressing as much as theirs did at the time ? It’s not so clear—and it’s likely they aren’t.
At a point where I am pretty sure that many developers have this fear in the back of their mind : will I be able to pass a coding interview without AI today ? Even if they were able pre-AI.
the whole "writing is thinking" argument hits different when you realize we're all basically outsorcing our cognitive load to ai without building any actual muscle memory or intuition, it's like using a calculator for 2+2 and wondering why you can't do mental math anymore. your point about information gaps becoming obvious mid-senntence is spot on; that uncomfortable pause when you realize you don't actually understand what you're talking about is where the real learning happens. honestly this feels like a weird modern twist on the old marshmallow experiment (we're trading long-term knowledge retention for the immediate gratification of having a thing built quickly)
Great read! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic piece, Jack! You have so well articulated a concern that has weighed on me as I adopt AI into my work and life...that decoupling of knowledge acquisition from the end product. Bookmarking this one.
Thanks for the article Jack !
Your point is also valid for technical folks. I just started my career as a software engineer and that’s a real concern. We use Cursor all day long and I can’t help but think that spending our time delegating the thinking will have a terrible impact on learning.
I am much more productive than my senior colleagues when they were at my stage thanks to AI. But are my skills progressing as much as theirs did at the time ? It’s not so clear—and it’s likely they aren’t.
At a point where I am pretty sure that many developers have this fear in the back of their mind : will I be able to pass a coding interview without AI today ? Even if they were able pre-AI.