I'd agree, with the caveat that I think it's okay to start at the top of the stack and work downwards, as long as the limitations of the tools keep you learning

I'd agree, with the caveat that I think it's okay to start at the top of the stack and work downwards, as long as the limitations of the tools keep you learning. I'm sure not every artist at Maxis could write Assembly code. There are more chances for visual artists now to step into the world of code than there were then. I started off as a graphic designer in an ad agency, learned the 1990s Dreamweaver way of writing web pages, and learned HTML/CSS and AS2/3 and JS and then PHP and Node and SQL as I hit various limitations with what I wanted to do. Now I write full stack business software. But I know people who went the other way, who learned the visual art and UI skills they wanted long after learning C++. So, unlearning your framework is a way of learning, too. The difference I see between interacting with a black-box AI versus any of those other things is that the AI isn't a constructor kit, it's a finished product that doesn't lead to furthering any skill set. It isn't like using Unity to build a city simulator; it's like playing the city simulator.