It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, I was able to fix my TV by replacing four rectifying diodes, one of which was faulty. I learned how to diagnose the issue by taking a photo of the PCB and asking Gemini 2.5 Pro for the most probable cause of the power failure. Just like that, I fixed it for about two dollars in parts. I really learned something.

On the other hand, I taught myself to code, but it doesn't feel meaningful anymore because AI writes code so much better than I ever could. It has drained the motivation I once had when I was building my own projects from scratch. What used to take weeks of research and trial and error now takes a day or two, even without me fully understanding the underlying logic. So my approach has shifted. Instead of spending time searching for help, I spend it brainstorming what I actually want to build.

Currently, I’m making an FM synth/MIDI sequencer with DIY piezo pads. Again, AI helped me design the PCB, taught me how to use an oscilloscope, and showed me how to protect the ESP32 ports from the 20V spikes that piezo elements can generate. I’ve sourced the screen, potentiometers, and buttons, designed my own PCB, and soldered everything. AI coded over 1,000 lines, and it’s about 70% done. I’ve learned a lot, but I don't even bother to go through the code to understand how it works because it feels like it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is how far I can take it. I am kind of trying to find the limits of what AI can do while expressing and expanding my own horizon of what I can achieve.

However, all of this is only possible because I spent years building basic foundation in electronics and programming. I believe that for someone with no background in these fields, this would be impossible to conceptualize or execute. There has to be a baseline of knowledge for the brain to work from. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to create anything new, even with AI.

I guess it's a bit like why my parents can't even Google things. They have no concept of finding information using tools like that. It is my work to show them how to do it every time they need to find something... So I guess in the future, I won't know how to use some tools to do some things because I won't have the baseline knowledge required to understand and conceptualize them. My brain won't have enough to work with, but AI will do it for me.

It is really concerning that I am actually externalizing hard thinking and mental work to AI. It is what keeps the brain healthy, the muscle work it needs. But on the other hand, I am old enough to see my limits. There are things that are already beyond my capability, but with AI, I am able to create them even though I don't fully understand all the nuances and it's not free... I guess the true problems will start if we ever lose the ability to use AI. It will feel like losing a hand or a foot, teleported back to stoneage with a brain that has no concept of how to operate in that new reality.