In the age of artificial intelligence, is knowledge becoming less valuable?
Posted by Jumpy-Win-2973@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 11 comments
Lately, I’ve been dedicating time to learning new things such as Rust and other programming languages and trying to create projects using what I’ve learned. This effort is not limited to programming I’ve also been exploring different subjects and even working on learning a new language. However, when I share my knowledge or demonstrate something I’ve built through my own effort, people around me often respond by saying things like, “You could do that in five minutes with AI,” or “Why go through the trouble of learning it yourself?”
This has led me to wonder whether, in this era of AI, the value of learning and creating through one’s own effort is gradually diminishing. For example, I recently realized that I have significant gaps in my native language grammar, especially since I had been relying on AI to correct many of my texts. Recognizing this, I decided to take a more active approach and study the grammar of my native language in greater depth.
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.
Mell-Silver-20@reddit
AI didn't kill the need to learn programming, it just changed what "learning" looks like. You still need fundamentals to understand, debug, and build anything real. Otherwise you're just copy pasting prompts and hoping it works.
HashDefTrueFalse@reddit
Isn't the latest proposition that those who make the best use of LLMs will rise to the top? If everyone has access to the same models and services, how else do you make better use of them than others than by knowing things they don't.
Also, how does an LLM help with tacit knowledge only learned by doing. Knowledge that can be stated. It is very different from knowledge how.
In short: No.
Lakatos_00@reddit
Don't be silly, please. Grab an epistemology book and tell me knowledge is less valuable today.
oandroido@reddit
No.
Ok_Call_7100@reddit
nah knowledge isn’t less valuable, it’s shifting. ai rewards people who actually understand things, not just copy outputs. if anything, real learning matters more now for depth, judgment, and creativity
Achereto@reddit
There will be some significant skill and knowledge atrophy in the population. Maintaining your skills and knowledge will be considered less valuable up until there is a tipping point where that atrophy causes significant damage. At that point skill and knowledge will become invaluable.
UnfairDictionary@reddit
Knowledge is always valuable.
DoubleVoice6067@reddit
Just keep your head down and keep learning. You'll probably be the only person in the room that can fix things should an AI model decide it would hallucinate and take a wrong turn in modifying a complex system.
HolyPommeDeTerre@reddit
Knowledge is only part of the job. Solving problems is the job, and it generally involves knowledge.
About 10/20 years ago, Stack Overflow was your go-to place when in need of a solution. Google was the main search engine to get knowledge. Did it removed the need for people to actually understand the solution and use it in the context they are working? No. It just made the information more reachable.
What changed? You get a LLM that can now gives you the information faster than before and customized to your needs. But you still need to be here to understand the solution in the context.
So, nothing really changed actually. Information is served in a different way. But the brain hasn't been replaced.
travelingmousey@reddit
If you don't actually learn, then you won't be able to tell if the quality of generated code and/or writing is good or bad.
TheFeistyDeveloper@reddit
Learning is critical. AI can't think, it doesn't replace thinking. You are the thinker. Your ability to do the thinking requires a solid foundation of knowledge and education. Therefore, learning is and always will be important.
AI is a tool that can speed up work. You still need to know how to employ it, how to direct it, how to debug it, and you are still responsible for its output. If you don't understand all of it, how can you be accountable for it?
Learning will always be valuable.
My prediction is that deeply learned individuals will become rarer and more valuable than ever before.