I’m having a few weird experiences on YouTube at the minute. I watched a few videos on mechanical keyboards the other day, and I think I might have ruined Google’s impression of me forever. It started as a few PC building things and got worse from there. Mixed in with the usual productivity tripe and hustle things that Google seems to think all people want to watch, I have discovered a whole world of people doing their work with AI.

That’s fine and everything. I am a big fan of making the new tools work for you, and use Notion AI frequently — but when it comes down to making AI write your assignments and complete your notes, it all gets a bit silly. If the entire point of performing an action is the result, then AI is arguably the best tool to use. You can achieve some great things and cut down the time you invest dramatically. However, if the activity is the point of the exercise, then just do the work.

The point of writing an essay is to demonstrate your learning. The result is not the point of the exercise, the point is your ability to complete the task. This goes double for getting AI to write your notes. Again, the entire point in writing notes on a subject (in a classroom or out of one) is the practice itself. By writing things down, you remember them, and record them in your words. AI defeats the point.

In these instances, if time saved is what you are trying to achieve with AI, then you’d be better off not doing it at all. To get better at something, learn information or just show others that you know things — Just Do The Work. There are no shortcuts in life, you can’t adopt a morning routine or use a tool to cheat your way through because at some point you will get found out. By doing the work, you improve yourself.