Pairing with AI

A friend of mine, who isn't into programming, recently asked me if I could suggest any articles or books that could help them understand a technical concept better.

I suggested a book—and also recommended using ChatGPT as a tutor, which I’ve been doing more often myself.

The app is essentially a talking encyclopedia. (A Borgesian nightmare.) It easily breaks down barriers previously caused by a lack of skill, talent, or knowledge.

Not sure how to do something? Pair up with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Tell it about your current skill level and ask for guidance. It will adapt to your needs, allow you to ask follow-up questions, and even provide practical examples when possible.

I don’t often use it this way for tasks within my expertise, but it’s great for everything else. Just this week, I teamed up with it to brush up on some basic legal concepts related to my business. I later verified the information with a lawyer friend, but thanks to that previous chat, I already had a good understanding of the topic, which saved my friend some time getting me up to speed.

It's a simple concept, true, but we’re still early. Most people don’t use any large language models daily yet. And these apps are… broad, to put it mildly. The interface is essentially just a text box, leaving it up to you to figure out how to make it useful for your needs or to learn from how others are using it.

It’s also a sign of how education will evolve in the coming years. Everyone will have access to a personal tutor knowledgeable in any subject, available 24/7 right from their pocket.

I personally see large language models as “floor raisers.” They elevate everyone’s basic abilities almost immediately when used—as opposed to “ceiling raisers,” which would push you into the top 1% of a skill, something no LLM can currently achieve.

Using these tools, everyone becomes just a bit more skilled—which is amazing.

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