How to Use AI to Make You Better at the Right Things

The Algorithmic Bridge · 3 weeks ago

An analysis piece argues that AI works best as a tool for expanding capacity in peripheral tasks rather than deepening core expertise, citing mathematician Terence Tao's experience that AI makes his papers broader but not deeper. Tao notes that solving difficult math problems still requires pen and paper and his own judgment, while AI excels at generating plots and code that would have taken hours and that he wouldn't have included otherwise. The author concludes that AI increases grasp on adjacent work you wouldn't otherwise do, but can't improve competence in your core skills that depend on personal judgment and accumulated knowledge.