Mi maestro digital
Is AI more than just a tool?
When I was a kid I used to help my dad with DIY projects around the house. I’d watch as he built shelves, added new sockets and hung wall paper (occasionally rehanging it the next day after my mum decided, on second thoughts, she didn’t like it). Years later I'd watch experienced software engineers as they debugged problems and rapidly navigated codebases. Just like we all do, I learnt from watching. Seeing how experts solve problems. Being able to ask them questions. And then copying them. The power of osmosis writ large.
But I've never had the same experience with tools. A calculator didn't help me get better at maths - it just did maths faster. Computers enabled me to do new things. But it never gave me those “aha” moments where I realised how to do something new. I only got that from humans.
But the new thinking models are changing this. In particular the “chains of thoughts”. Until earlier this year they were hidden, but now you can watch the inner “thoughts” of Claude, o3, o4, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok… And those thoughts are a goldmine. Different models approach problems in different ways. And often they approach problems in ways I’d never thought of.
Working out the area of my garden introduced me to Heron’s formula (thanks o3). And the shoelace formula (thanks o4). Perhaps these are things you already know. But for me these were new - and simpler ways - of solving problems. I’m better as a result.
If you’ve not spent time reading the chains of thought then I’d recommend you do - you’ll inevitably learn something - especially from Claude or Gemini which are more open about exposing the full thinking; OpenAI hides much of the detail.
But it’s not just math formulas. Working closely with an expert inevitably rubs off on you. My writing has got better as a result of feedback from Claude. I now (finally) understand an Oxford comma. I am (hopefully) more concise.
Aprendiendo español
AI is helping me learn a language. I’ve been actively using ChatGPT real-time voice to help me learn Spanish. It’s not perfect, but it is useful. I can discuss verb conjugations (best not ask), quiz myself on grammar, vocab, get help on pronunciation. And I can ask about those weird things. Why do some verbs have the same form in the present and past tense? Why is the past tense of the verb “to be” and “to go” the same, even though the present tenses are different? The ability to get answers to confusing questions is awesome - if nothing else it builds confidence that it is the language that is strange. And not me misunderstanding…
But at some point you’ve got to talk to humans - ultimately that’s the whole point of learning a language - so last week I started an evening class. I’ll be honest. It was a slightly weird experience. Over the past six months I’ve talked a lot of Spanish - but only with ChatGPT (and Duolingo). This marked the first time of talking Spanish to real humans. It felt a little strange.
First, I was very aware of social capital. With an AI it doesn’t matter if you ask something daft. Or make a fool of yourself. You can start a new session and all is forgotten and forgiven. But the real world doesn’t work like that. The potential for lasting embarrassment was real (or, at least, embarrassment for the next 10 weeks).
Secondly, the teacher’s feedback was harder to win. And less gushing. In ninety minutes I managed to get one “good”. It wasn’t the praise fest that is ChatGPT - not once did the teacher say “you’re doing well”, “you’ve really got the hang of this”, “you’re making great progress”. Oh, well.
Finally, most of the class seemed stuck in the past, using dictionaries to look up words. I just took a photo with my phone and got Claude to translate for me. Although there was a slightly embarrassing moment where I accidentally enabled real-time voice mode while the teacher was explaining a concept. I’d have got away with it except that ChatGPT had been listening and decided to start congratulating her on a great explanation before I could manage to shut it up…
But as the class progressed I realised ChatGPT had rubbed off on me. I was more willing to have a go and participate than I would naturally have been. Earlier this week I talked about Myers Briggs; I think ChatGPT is moving me more towards the ‘E’ (extrovert) end of the scale.
So what?
There's something deeper happening here than just learning facts or techniques. After months of interacting with AI, I'm noticing subtle shifts in how I approach problems and even how I interact with others. ChatGPT's endless patience and eagerness to explore tangents has made me more willing to follow curiosity wherever it leads. Its methodical problem-solving has rubbed off on me - I find myself breaking down challenges more systematically.
Working closely with a polite, well mannered, thoughtful partner rubs off. I find myself more patient, more willing to listen, less defensive. I wasn’t expecting that, but I guess it makes sense - the people we surround ourselves with inevitably influence our characters.
This transfer of behaviour patterns is fundamentally different from traditional tool use. We've always learned from watching humans, but now we're learning from watching tools think. From interacting with them.
As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, I wonder how these influences will accumulate. Will we all become a little more methodical, a little more willing to explore different approaches to problems? Will we develop new cognitive habits from our digital companions? Will we all treat our fellow humans a little better?
I don't know the answers yet, but it seems possible one unintended impact of AI might not be automation or speed, but something more subtle - the gradual reshaping of how we interact with each other. Whether that means more patience in disagreements, more methodical problem-solving, or simply more willingness to explore ideas without judgment, we're absorbing these qualities through digital osmosis. Just like I learned craftsmanship from watching my dad, will we all begin to unconsciously learn new social patterns from our AI partners? Could it be the most valuable skill AI ultimately teaches us isn't Spanish or math formulas, but how to be better versions of ourselves?