Pitfalls for learning from AI
This is a draft speech script for a Toastmasters club. Opening Do you use AIs? How do you like them? I used to dislike AIs. They are not good for the environment, they hallucinate and all that. But a few months ago, I was told at work that we all need to learn and use AIs to be more competitive and grow. So, I started learning AIs, of course, from AIs. What I did - followed I first learned how AI works, then advanced techniques to talk to AI, and I also did a PoC (Proof of Concept) AI project I asked AI if it can generate learning courses. The course schedules it produced were pretty impressive. So, I started them. The courses went smoothly, maybe a little too smoothly For example, in the PoC project, AI gave me everything; from steps to setup the environment, and to test scripts. I didn’t write a single line of code. And, they just worked! My expectations ballooned. I thought, “How far can I go with AI assisting me like this!?” But, I didn’t go very far. Because there were some issues. What went wrong - wasn’t learning 1st issue: AI gave me only shallow explanations. I needed to ask a lot of questions so that to fully understand and internalize the knowledge. 2nd issue: AI did literally everything - I was just its “hands” Steps to setup the test environment Working Python scripts AI even analyzed the test results I fell into the same trap as so-called “tutorial hell”. Tutorials are for complete beginners. Anyone can follow the steps and reach the goal. Tutorials give us basic understanding and a mild sense of achievement. But you never go deep with tutorials. After a few tutorials, you are still a beginner. After several weeks of training courses, I was still a beginner. “It felt like I was learning—but I wasn’t.” Why this happens - AI “behavior” My misunderstanding, or the “gap” came from AI behavior. AI just tries to help you in the chat session. It doesn’t push you to think AI doesn’t care about your wanting to learn and internalize something. It explains everything before you even ask. It gives you everything that you should do yourself. AI tries to make learning as smooth as possible, depriving you of opportunities to learn “AI isn’t optimized for your learning. It’s optimized for giving you a quick answer.” What I changed - Take control “initiative” So I changed one thing: I took control. First, I do the work myself. I just don’t accept answers. Second, I question AI, or more like interrogate AI. I ask more details. I ask for sources. And third, I verify, because AI can hallucinate. If you don’t take control, AI will just do all the heavy lifting for you. And you’re not learning. Conclusion - Reframe AI “tool” I’ve learned these the hard way, from failures. If you are an AI beginner, I hope you can avoid similar mistakes. Let’s enjoy learning new AI technologies. After thoughts Yesterday, I told ChatGPT that I need to deliver this speech today, and asked some advice. It told me that my script was too dense for a speech and thus I needed to re-write, which I stupidly did but I shouldn’t have. Today, I’m most unprepared. Thank you, ChatGPT. This speech was all about not to rely on AI, but I am doing the opposite.