Growing up, we spent a lot of time camping. While camping, we would occasionally need to wash clothes, and as it happened, my parents owned a washboard and taught us how to use it when cleaning clothes in the creek. It was very rustic, and a lot of fun for little kids who were learning something new.

Now, I’m sure many of you out there have no idea what a washboard is, since the washing machine has been around for over 100 years. Knowing how to use one isn’t common knowledge. Everyone from CEOs to janitors has gotten along just fine without needing to know how to scrub clothing on the board to get the dirt out. It’s a lost skill, replaced by modern technology, and only picked up as a novelty skill. Much like celestial navigation and sailors, since GPS has become so ubiquitous, or from-scratch cooking since fast food and ready meals are so common. It takes extra, conscious effort to acquire these skills that were replaced by modern technology or conveniences. Now, we have AI.

I’ve been spending a lot of time researching Artificial Intelligence, as I’m sure the rest of you have been as well. I’ve worked through the early Turing days, different Machine Learning models, and spent time learning about LLMs and Agentic AI. Each time I look at what it can bring, I keep thinking about how it will impact Learning.

Perhaps I’m dating myself, but I was there when personal computers in the classroom were a novelty (we had Atari 2600s in my 6th-grade classroom). I saw how computers could help kids engage in learning through gamification. It was supposed to be the next revolution in education, yet we still have instructors in a classroom. I was there when we first started doing remote learning at my local Community College, and even helped provide video discs for learners (because video streaming was murder in dial-up speeds). And I was there when MOOCs were becoming a thing, and Apple was courting Universities to post recorded class sessions to iTunes U (now defunct). At each stage, there was supposed to be a revolution: a change in how we teach, and yet, we still have instructors and teachers in front of classrooms (or on Zoom).

But now. Now, we have AI. We have ChatGPT, Gemini, or Anthropic, which can answer questions for you when asked. They seem to have all the answers and can confidently respond without hesitation (right or wrong). They can rewrite your scribblings into a coherent, structured paper or article. Why practice sentence structure or the art of essay writing when an LLM can do it for you? It seemed so revolutionary that some companies have, reportedly and anecdotally (not confirmed), fired their L&D teams and given every employee a ChatGPT license as their source of learning. The reported results (again, not confirmed) were a disaster. Skill gaps widened instead of narrowing. Why? Why would skill gaps widen when answers were right there?

Well, to address that particular question, I would recommend an excellent video on AI and Learning called Effort is the Algorithm. The video pointed out that there are two processes our brains use: One is fast and uses the available knowledge and experience we already possess. Think of it as the computer hitting RAM for cached information. This process uses all the knowledge and experience you gained from years of learning, trying, failing, trying again, failing, trying again, and finally succeeding. You’ve lived it, you know it, you have put it to the test, and you can confidently respond without having to think too much about the answer.

The other process is slower, more methodical, and used when learning something new. This process is engaged when you are working through a problem, failing, trying again with a new approach, and repeating until you achieve success. This is learning. You listen, you watch, you try, and see results. Your mind engages, building Neuron connections with each practice (the general magical number is 7 for long-term retention), and you have banked a block of knowledge/skill/behaviors that can be utilized by Process 1.

So, what happens when you offload your learning practice to AI? Process 2 is happy to offload anything that takes extra effort/energy/resources, and Process 1 simply regurgitates the short-term information it has and purges that info. This is why skill gaps happen when you rely on AI as your Process 2: you are not building blocks of knowledge/skills/behaviors that you can call upon when pressed. There’s no effort in learning key information points because you are relying on external sources.

Now, is it really a bad thing? The same could be said of that washboard use, right? The general population doesn’t know how to use one; they offloaded that knowledge to the washing machine, and the world still turns just fine. So the question you should be asking yourself is: How important is the information/skill/behavior you are getting from AI to know when doing your activity?

Let’s put this in context. You are in Sales, and you are raving about the benefits of your company’s product or service. AI can give you all the talking points, highlight the key benefits for the customer, and might even be able to give you some customer insight ahead of time. What a great way to prep! Then, you are in the pitch meeting, and someone asks a question about how the product/service works. If you have to stop and ask AI, does that show confidence in your knowledge?

Let me put it another way. You are in the hospital for heart surgery, and your surgeon comes in for your consultation. You have, understandably, some concerns about the surgery procedure and need some clarification. You ask, and the surgeon turns to the computer and asks ChatGPT how the procedure should be performed. Would you keep him as your surgeon?

Now, I’m not saying AI doesn’t have its benefits in learning: It does! You can do amazing things with AI both before and during instruction. But as a learner, you can’t offload the learning process to AI. It doesn’t build your knowledge base, skill sets, and behavior guidance you need to be successful in your job. It’s your responsibility as a learner to put the effort in, try, fail, and keep trying until you succeed. That is learning, that is success, and that is what will ultimately differentiate you in the industry. Make the effort, and you will see amazing results.

You can’t offload your learning to AI to be successful.  You need to use AI to learn, try, fail, and try again until you succeed.  That’s learning, that’s succeeding.