Alright, let’s talk about something real today. AI is ruining your learning journey—and I don’t mean in an "Oh, AI is bad, don’t use it" way. No. I mean, it’s silently short-circuiting your learning process, especially if you’re a beginner.

Because let’s be honest…

How we used to learn vs. how we learn now

If we had any issues, we used to do a Google search, follow docs, read Stack Overflow solutions, and go through multiple blog articles on specific problems and their possible solutions. Then, we test these solutions in our code. So, not only did we put effort into searching and looking at different codes, but we also learned about similar problems that might come up in the future. Sometimes, we would land on a blog post that explained the concept in depth.

During this process, we didn’t just find the solution to the problem—we learned more than what we came for.

Like, maybe you were trying to fix a TypeScript error, but now you have learned how to improve your type definitions. Maybe you were looking for a CSS fix, but now you have the concept of Flexbox or floating, or you learned a cool trick of Flexbox. This process was annoying, but it built something important—real problem-solving skills and also widened your context view.

But now?

AI makes you feel like you’re learning, but you’re not

Here is why AI is killing learning.
Now, when you run into an issue, you just go straight to ChatGPT and type “Fix this error” with a bunch of code.

It gives you the correct answer and boom—you’re done.

But here’s the problem: you skipped the entire struggle part. No reading multiple answers, no trial and error, no real thinking. Just blindly copy-pasting code and moving on. Remember, our brain requires time to consume the information to remember it for a long time.

That’s where AI kills your learning growth. What if next time, the problem is newer or more complex, and ChatGPT gives you an outdated or incorrect response (which happens often)? You won’t know how to fix it, and you’ll be stuck.

You weren’t learning. You were just collecting answers. And when those answers don’t work, you’re lost.

AI Doesn’t Give You the Full Picture

The thing is, AI gives you only the information you ask for, And if you do not even know what to ask, you are missing key details.

For example, let’s say you are working on creating a website, and you ask ChatGPT to get user input: "How do you get user input in the above HTML, CSS, and JS code?" It might return a solution like this:

let userInput = prompt("Enter something:");

Nice and simple.

But what did you just miss out on?
You didn’t learn that prompt() has bad UX (User Experience).
You missed out on better options like event listeners and HTML input fields. Instead, if you Googled it, you’d see multiple ways to get user input, discussions about best practices, and even new techniques you never thought about.

With AI, you get one specific answer—and that’s it. And if you don’t know there’s more to learn, you won’t even realize what you missed.

Think of an AI Like a Mentor, Not a Shortcut

AI is like a mentor—you can ask when you’re stuck, but you can’t rely on it for everything. Imagine if you had a real mentor, and every time you hit an issue, you just asked: “Hey, what’s the solution for this?”

The first few times, they would help. But if you keep asking the same types of questions without trying anything yourself, at some point, they’d say: "Come on, you should’ve figured this out by now." Because that’s how real learning works: you struggle first, then ask.

The difference is that AI will keep giving you answers—even if you’re not learning anything. Just because you can ask unlimited questions doesn’t mean you should. Use AI like a mentor—ask when you’re truly stuck, follow its explanations, and then try solving similar problems yourself and writing down its conclusions. That’s how you grow.

Why Beginners Are Getting Hit the Hardest

If you already have experience, you can filter out AI’s mistakes and compare multiple solutions. But if you’re just starting? AI is setting you up for failure.

Because you’re skipping the struggle and just following instructions like a machine. This doesn’t build intuition for debugging. And when AI fails to provide the right answer, you’re stuck because you never actually learned how to solve problems on your own.

You can use AI to generate ideas, clarify doubts, or explore new perspectives. Treat AI responses as a starting point.

How to Use AI Without Ruining Your Learning Process

I’m not saying don’t use AI. That would be dumb. But use it in the right way.

First try, AI second: Don’t dump the code into ChatGPT and ask for a solution. Instead, first try out the thing by yourself, figure out the issue in the code, and then check for fixes. After performing various tries, you can ask ChatGPT for a solution, and after that, make sure to solve similar problems so you get your hands on the thing.

Use AI for explanations, not just answers: You can use Chat GPT for explaining the code and better understand the code, and then you can figure out where the actual problem lies. Cross-check AI’s answers: Just because it sounds confident, doesn’t mean it’s right. Google it, read relevant articles and compare solutions. Let AI critique your code instead of writing it: Write your code first, then ask AI: “How can I improve this?”

Final Reality Check – Are You Learning or Just Copying?

If you struggle to code without ChatGPT, you should reconsider how you’re learning. Because you weren’t learning. You were just outsourcing your thinking.

AI is a tool. It’s here to help you, not replace the learning process. So, be honest with yourself.

If you’re using ChatGPT to learn, you’re doing it right.

If you’re using ChatGPT to skip learning, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Enjoy your learning and keep growing. Share the article with your friends.
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