How to Learn with AI
AI is blurring the line between knowledge and comprehension — four ways to use a chatbot as a tool instead of a crutch.
Written for Axiom Pathways.
Starting from a classic chess-memory study (grandmasters only outperform novices on positions that could occur in a real game, because their advantage is pattern recognition, not raw memory), this piece argues AI chatbots are quietly removing the “desirable difficulty” that actually builds understanding. It offers four concrete habits to counter that: closing the tab and reconstructing what you read from memory, asking the AI to quiz you instead of explain to you, explaining concepts back to the AI Feynman-style to expose gaps, and always attempting a problem yourself before asking for the answer. The throughline: the tool can process anything, but it can’t understand on your behalf.