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Regarding the common analogy about GPS atrophying map skills, I have a slightly different take based on observation and experience. My dad, who learned to drive
by afiodorov 1y ago
Regarding the common analogy about GPS atrophying map skills, I have a slightly different take based on observation and experience. My dad, who learned to drive pre-GPS, struggles to simultaneously drive and follow navigation – it's too much input, too fast. He needs a co-pilot or pre-planning.
For those of us who learned to drive with GPS, however, it wasn't simply about foregoing maps. It was about developing the distinct skill of processing navigation prompts while simultaneously managing the primary task of driving. This integration required practice; like many, I took plenty of wrong roundabout exits before it became second nature. Indeed, this combined skill is arguably so fundamental now that driving professionally without the ability to effectively follow GPS might be disqualifying – it's hard to imagine any modern taxi or ride-share company hiring someone who lacks this capability. So, rather than deskilling, this technology has effectively raised the bar, adding a complex, necessary layer to the definition of a competent driver today.
I see a parallel with AI and programming. The focus is often on what might be lost, but I think we should also recognise the new skill emerging: effectively guiding, interpreting, and integrating AI into the development process. It's not just 'programming' anymore, it's 'programming-with-AI', and mastering that interaction is the next challenge.
- coffeemug 1y agoI don’t understand this (or all the AI “skills” discourse). This is the most intuitive technology in the history of the world. You literally talk to it in your language and it does what you want! What is there to learn? (You do need to adjust your communication a little. But you’ve got to do it with every human too. I don’t see how AI is any different.)
- xtreme 1y agoReplace AI in your comment with "intern" or "junior employee" and you will quickly realize that it needs a different set of skills. Do you think two different managers can achieve wildly different results with the same team by using different processes and style of communication? That's the value of learning this skill.
- yayitswei 1y agoWith driving in the age of autopilot, there's yet a new skill - staying engaged enough to intervene during that 0.1% of the time it tries to kill you.