The Art of Learning in the Age of AI
What AI can’t teach—and why that matters more than ever
I've been thinking a lot about the concept of “learning” lately — especially now, when we live in an era where we can simply ask ChatGPT any question and receive a comprehensive, well-structured answer in under 10 seconds. The landscape of knowledge acquisition has shifted, transforming how we access information and challenging our traditional understanding of what it means to learn something new. There’s a growing fear that learning itself is becoming irrelevant. That we’re about to be replaced.
This week, Spotify suggested I listen to an episode of Diary of a CEO featuring Simon Sinek. It was titled, “You Are Being Lied to by AI.” And while I expected a two-hour rant on the pros and cons of tech, what I got was a deep, thoughtful conversation about something much simpler: the importance of doing the work.
“People keep telling us life is not about the destination — it’s about the journey. But when we think about AI, we only think about the destination... write the book, solve the problem, make the thing. We forget the importance of doing the work yourself.”
That hit me.
Because, yes — I can ask ChatGPT to write a 300-word summary on how to manage my team. But I don’t learn anything that way. I don’t absorb the insights, question the advice, try it, fail at it, adjust it, make it mine. That’s not growth. That’s outsourcing growth.
And we’re starting to confuse access with understanding.
Simon puts it plainly:
“You learn how to be a good friend by being a friend.”
You don’t develop empathy from a prompt. You develop it through showing up. Through listening. Through hard conversations and awkward silences. Through trying — and trying again.
The most important things to focus on aren’t technical at all. They’re human:
How to listen
How to give and receive feedback
How to hold space, resolve conflict, take accountability
How to express empathy
How to be a good friend
And maybe that’s the thing we’re forgetting in this AI age:
Learning isn’t a transaction — it’s a transformation.
Lately, I’ve had to check myself. I’ve been down rabbit holes of AI articles and podcasts and endless brilliant content. And I had to stop and ask: “Wait — what have I actually learned?”
Because if I’m just scrolling and skimming and saving for later, I haven’t learned anything.
And if we don’t pause, slow down, and sit with something long enough to wrestle with it… we risk becoming people who know a little about everything, and nothing deeply at all.
So here’s the reminder I’m carrying this week — maybe it’s one you need too:
It’s okay — beautiful even — to spend five hours on one small thing. (even if ChatGPT can do it in 10 seconds).
To get curious.
To go slow.
To actually learn.
Because tools are fast. But transformation takes time.
May your week be filled with more learning than skimming, more questions than shortcuts, and at least one moment where you slow down and say, “Ah. Now I understand.”
Forever devoted to the journey (and forever suspicious of 10-second hacks),
I remain—your most curious correspondent,
ERIN :)
Here are impactful takeaways from the podcast if you don’t want to listen to the full 2 hours of his conversation:
"What makes people beautiful is not that we get everything right it's that we get many things wrong."
"Life is not about the destination life is about the journey but when we think about AI we only think about the destination and it's remarkable ability to write the book paint the painting solve the problem but we forget the importance of doing the work yourself."
"I am smarter better at problem solving more resourceful not because a book exists with my ideas in it but because I wrote it. That excruciating journey is what made me grow."
"It's like saying AI will provide boats for everyone except for the time there's a storm and you don't know how to swim."
"You can have an AI friend... but nobody's learning how to be a friend."
"What made you a great entrepreneur is not that the company exists is that you built it with your hands and you've got the scars to show for it."
"I want AI to make things but I would hate to lose out on becoming a better version of me."
"We give up certain skills or abilities because of technology regularly."
"Simply asking AI how should I resolve this thing it'll give you an answer and it may work and you've learned nothing."
"I'm okay use the boat also learn to swim."
"Things made by hand are beautiful because they're imperfect."
"The chess games that have the highest demand are one human versus another... it's the human error of two human chess players who are worse objectively worse at chess that makes it so fascinating."
"As the end product becomes easier to produce it's the humanity that's going to suffer and unless we take personal accountability both as individuals and organizations to teach and learn human skills they will disappear."