Peel the onion
#108 - Jun.2024
I was talking to a friend about learning in the age of AI agents.
The internet gave us immediate access to information. This changed complete the way we learn. Today, AI is likely to change this once again giving us a new lever to use information.
But what are the tradeoffs?
We can now talk to an AI agent who can process an imaginable amount of data. They aggregate and simplifying answers to complex questions.
Take coding for example. This means removing the cognitive load of managing libraries, and dependencies, and even getting suggestions of new logic you can incorporate into your code.
I like to call this: The abstraction from AI.
AI is helping us to create a new layer of abstraction on top of the web. But with abstraction, we sacrifice specificity. It’s like turning information into a low-definition picture. Sure, you can use it, but you lack details and nuances.
I don’t see this as a challenge for small/repetitive tasks (thanks AI for taking out this burden). But I keep on thinking of what this really means for deep learning of skills, in particular in the digital space.
The cognitive effort of diving deep into a subject and the trial-error that comes through repetition, is now simplified through a quick prompt. This is amplified by the dopamine culture that dominates our world today: long reads vs. quick answers. Great narratives vs. TL;DRs. In-depth sessions vs. quick guides to learn anything.
I believe the fix for this comes through a change in mindset.
Our capacity to question (and the quality of questions) and to connect the points across different domains will continue to be at the core of our creative skills as humans.
AI can become a powerful companion to dive even deeper into complex topics. We shouldn’t be satisfied with any immediate answer from technology.
Make more questions.
Challenge your assumptions.
Peel the onion for deeper levels of knowledge.
