One profound shift I\u2019ve observed recently is how AI has made it incredibly easy
\nto start using new technologies without really learning them in depth or
\nsometimes even without learning them at all. While this approach can feel
\nlike a productivity boost, I believe it\u2019s a ticking time bomb that may become
\ndisastrous in the long run.<\/p>\n
Not long ago, I was working with a colleague to improve a specific part of a
\nRetrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system I had built. To explain my
\napproach, I began with a simple, toy example consisting of a few lines of text
\nmeant to test and validate the core idea. To my surprise, my colleague ignored
\nthe toy example entirely and insisted on jumping straight to the full-blown
\ncomplex dataset, disregarding the foundational illustration that, in my view,
\nwas crucial to grasping the underlying concept.<\/p>\n
I have noticed this pattern repeatedly, whether in pair programming or
\ntechnical discussions with peers. It seems to me that AI has enabled a tendency
\nto leap directly to a \u201cworking\u201d solution, treating the understanding of
\nconcepts as an unnecessary “low-level implementation detail” that can be
\nskipped since \u201cAI will handle the boring tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning,\u201d at least in my experience, is inseparable from understanding.<\/p>\n
Breaking down concepts into their most basic, atomic parts, isolating them to
\nspecific problems is the prefferred way to truly grasp them.<\/p>\n
A top-down approach\u2014immediately jumping to a working solution, often with AI\u2019s
\nhelp can lead to a “working solution”, but ignoring the underlying concepts and
\ndetails that wait to be understood is a recipe for disaster and a terrible way
\nto learn.<\/p>\n
Developers, managers, and companies alike should recognize this risk. No matter
\nhow powerful our tools have become, there are still things that require patience,
\ntime, and genuine effort to master. Skipping these steps isn\u2019t just a personal
\nshortcoming; it can become an organizational liability.<\/p>\n
Working solutions created with limited understanding are often fragile,
\ndifficult to extend, and hard to maintain. The lack of foundational knowledge
\nreveals itself in messy codebases and architectural mistakes that become
\nexpensive (or impossible) to fix later.<\/p>\n
Based on what I\u2019ve seen, this habit of jumping straight to the \u201cfull-blown
\nsolution\u201d will prove very costly over time. I genuinely believe entire
\ncompanies can find themselves in crisis if they reward speed and surface-level
\nresults over understanding and craftsmanship\u2014especially if management mistakes
\n\u201cgetting things done faster\u201d for real progress.<\/p>\n
To be clear, I\u2019m not against AI. Far from it\u2014I think AI is an incredible tool
\nthat can help us work smarter and more efficiently. I use it myself every day.
\nBut we must be vigilant: we can\u2019t let AI (or any tool) replace the hard work of
\nlearning and understanding the technologies we use. Otherwise, we risk falling
\ninto the trap of deploying low-quality solutions that may save us time today,
\nbut will cost us dearly tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Problems of Shallow Learning One profound shift I\u2019ve observed recently is how AI has made it incredibly easy to start using new technologies without…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":348,"url":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/stop-chasing-technology-how-to-build-ai-that-solves-genuine-problems\/","url_meta":{"origin":374,"position":0},"title":"Stop Chasing Technology: Finding the user\u2019s problem is the real problem!","author":"john","date":"March 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s a common critique in the AI community: too often, AI solutions emerge from asking, \u201cWhat can we do?\u201d rather than, \u201cWhat problem do we need to solve?\u201d Developers frequently jump on the latest algorithm or innovative model and then search for a suitable use case. This approach tends to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AI"","block_context":{"text":"AI","link":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/category\/ai\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":276,"url":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/the-illusion-of-mastery-understanding-the-true-role-of-llms-and-ai\/","url_meta":{"origin":374,"position":1},"title":"The Illusion of Mastery: Understanding the True Role of LLMs and AI","author":"john","date":"September 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In today's technologically-driven world, there is a significant amount of hype surrounding Large Language Models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI). However, it's essential to take a step back and critically evaluate their true capabilities and limitations. First and foremost, LLMs are not true AI in the conventional sense. They are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Programming"","block_context":{"text":"Programming","link":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/category\/programming\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":354,"url":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/2025\/04\/03\/ai-an-essential-tool-for-software-development-not-a-replacement\/","url_meta":{"origin":374,"position":2},"title":"AI: An Essential Tool for Software Development, Not a Replacement","author":"john","date":"April 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many software developers have seen how AI can generate code, create documentation, and run tests automatically allowing us to build simple interfaces, write SQL queries, and develop basic algorithms faster. It saves time, lets us focus on tougher challenges, and boosts our overall productivity. However, one clear consensus is that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AI"","block_context":{"text":"AI","link":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/category\/ai\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":405,"url":"https:\/\/codingismycraft.blog\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/postman-from-api-client-to-everything-app\/","url_meta":{"origin":374,"position":3},"title":"Postman: From API Client to “Everything App”","author":"john","date":"February 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Postman just announced its March 2026 updates, and it\u2019s a massive change and deviation from its original purpose as an API testing and documentation tool. 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