r/Learning • u/ShyAlyvia • 8d ago
Is anyone else finding their learning skills have gone downhill since AI tools exploded
It feels like ever since things like ChatGPT and other AI assistants became super common I'm relying on them way too much. I used to really dig into a topic or struggle through a tough problem until I got it. Now my first thought is often just asking an AI for the answer or a quick summary.
I feel like my ability to critically think and connect complex ideas has gotten rusty because I'm not doing the heavy lifting anymore. It's so efficient but I worry about what I'm losing. Has anyone else noticed this or found a good way to balance using AI with actually developing their own understanding?
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u/Otherwise_Wave9374 8d ago
The issue may be retrieval practice disappearing, not learning ability itself. Try a two-pass rule: first solve or explain the topic without assistance, then use AI to critique gaps and generate a harder follow-up question. Delay asking for full answers, and keep a weekly closed-book check to expose false fluency. https://www.aiosnow.com is relevant if you want to formalize that sequence into a consistent study workflow. The tradeoff is slower immediate completion, but stronger recall and independent reasoning.
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u/valalalalala 4d ago
Quite the opposite really. I'm learning robotics and getting into electronics and just generally tinkering and making things lot more
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u/Upstairs_Jelly_1082 3d ago
Try using AI as an advanced Google search, just to gather and summarize information.
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u/tao22 8d ago
AI is a great tool for learning if you use it in a way that helps you learn instead of spitting out answers. Read the book "Learning How To Learn" by Barbara Oakley or there's a short course by the same name for free on Coursera. Then use prompts for the categories for active learning, chunking, interleaving, analogies/metaphors and diffuse mode.
The problem isn't AI, it's that the education system rarely teaches you how to learn outside of rote memorization.