Learning feels like climbing a glass mountain—smooth progress until you hit a slick spot with no handhold, and suddenly you're sliding back down. For most of my life, I divided the world into mountains I could climb (writing, languages) and those I couldn't (programming, math). Then AI handed me something remarkable: invisible handholds that appear precisely when I need them. The mountains haven't changed—but suddenly, they're all climbable.
For years, I boxed myself in as a "humanities person." Anything STEM-related sat firmly outside my comfort zone. Each time I attempted a CS problem set or math homework, a familiar voice of self-doubt would emerge: "Can I actually do this?" Without a guide to navigate the confusion, I often retreated to safer intellectual territory. The mental barrier wasn't about capability but belief and support.
Contrast this with my experience learning languages or writing. There, I moved with confidence, even enthusiasm. The difference wasn't the subject matter itself, but my relationship with it.
We only truly enjoy learning when we believe something is learnable. This is where AI's transformative power lies—not just in answering questions, but in making knowledge accessible in ways that convince us anything can be learned.
Consider what happens now when learning anxiety strikes. Confused about a concept? A 24/7 teacher stands ready to explain it in whatever way makes sense to you. Don't know where to begin with a new subject? AI can map out a personalized study plan. Watched a tutorial but missed a crucial point? AI can explain it like you're five. Want to build something but feel overwhelmed by technical choices? AI can simplify your options.
Since integrating AI into my learning process, I've ventured further outside my intellectual comfort zone than ever before (since college). I'm watching coding lectures. I'm building products hands-on. I'm exploring concepts I didn't know existed just months ago. Most surprisingly, I've rediscovered the fundamental pleasure of learning.
There's a distinct feeling that washes over you when you sit with a new concept and think, "With this AI companion, I can actually figure this out." It's a blend of curiosity, excitement, and possibility—the joy of learning amplified by the knowledge that confusion is just a prompt away.
The most profound shift isn't that AI makes information available—the internet already did that. It's that AI makes knowledge accessible, which nurtures the belief that everything is learnable. And when we believe we can learn something, we usually do.