AI as Learning Partner

“So I literally used, it was in my last year of my most recent grad program, I literally used AI to teach me how to do R. And I've used it to learn multiple software platforms at this point, specifically data analytics. Tableau was a big one. Because when I would start to encounter resistance and get to that point where I'm frustrated and I'm going to quit, I have something there where I can say, "Okay, this is the kind of visualization I am trying to make. This is where the data is porting in here and how it's set. And for some reason, I'm pulling up donuts. What is going on?" And it has that ability even from a screenshot to look and say, "Oh, well, you need to move this around." And I think something people need to remember is ask it why. Why do you need to do that?”

“It recently sent me down a rabbit hole because I was like, "Okay, what's the difference between Newtonian relativity and Einstein's relativity?" And it starts explaining it. And when I start hitting those barriers that have been there because I'm not a physicist, I can say, "Hey, explain this to me like I'm in eighth grade. Can you use an example? Give me a metaphor for what you're describing here." And the odd thing is coming away with the ability to explain this complex thing but also an interest in it.”

“Teach myself everything. The first thing I did with it was I had it generate a massive glossary of terms about AI and conversation design. I still have it. It's on my nonprofit page.”

“There is a section with a glossary in it and that glossary was from like day one with ChatGPT, because I realized I needed to learn more than just NLU NLP. So the first thing I did was just learn all that terminology. It was hard because a lot of that terminology, LLM, you know, like there's just so much terminology that sounds like other terms that you needed to learn. So it's almost like Game of Thrones, right? Like with Tyrion and Tyron, and like I really struggled with those books in the beginning because everybody's name sounded the same. And it was the same thing with AI terminology. Learning all that terminology was the first thing I did with it. It was hard. And then I would have it quiz me.”

“And then it will tell me you missed this, this, and this. And I'm like, oh, now I need to go study those things, right? So, it's a win and a win and a win, like right after one after the other. I got a great post. I got to use my knowledge, my words, and then also see where my knowledge gaps are and have a place to go study.”

“And then I started using ChatGPT and from there I moved into Claude. And because of this then I was like, okay, how can I do this on my professional side? Because one of the great things that I did, since last time we connected, I took a certification in neuro-linguistic programming. So I was doing mentoring and coaching and I was running the DEI council and the mentorship program for [former company] for our business unit. So I was like, okay, how am I going to put together the content since English is not my first language? So let's use ChatGPT to polish it off, how to get a tone for the executive level. So that, it was funny because I learned a lot from ChatGPT, like how should I talk to, how should I write something. So I didn't use it in a sense of, okay, do for me and that's it. But I did in a sense of, okay, do once, do twice, and then after that I always start writing my own things and ask ChatGPT to polish it off, or Claude, and the changes were minimal.”

“It would be really cool to have a tool created for learning and training that can adapt based on, like, for example, I really want to learn more about visual design. If Figma had an AI tool that I could interact with in real time and I can learn it, and it can give me real feedback of, 'okay, the way that you did this isn't the most efficient way of doing it. Let me show you how to do it in real time,' rather than having a one-on-one session with a person.”

“I don't know if it doesn't do this right now, but it would be really cool to have a tool created for learning and training that can adapt based on, like, for example, I really want to learn more about visual design. If Figma had an AI tool that I could interact with in real time and I can learn it, and it can give me real feedback of, "okay, the way that you did this isn't the most efficient way of doing it. [I'd want it to say] let me show you how to do it in real time," rather than having a one-on-one session with a person. I think that could help me in my career of learning design tools. I'm sure that there's other ways that it could help my life and my personal life, but I feel like in my day-to-day, figuring out how to be a more efficient designer would be, without having to pay thousands of dollars in an interactive one-on-one training, right?”