This seems about right. Anecdotally I never learned as much as I do since I use AI. It’s crazy good at explaining stuff with exactly the angle you require according to your level and learning style.

I’ve done some hardware hacking, built my own Linux distro for a project, got way better at administering my home server.

The most fun I’ve had is to try and locate the rights to an obscure science fiction short story for a podcast I want to make. This led me to contact a few editors, library archivists, and a couple of noted literature professors. Genuine fun and connections, with the AI helping me navigate mountains of information, the legal aspects and also the cultural differences between the US and UK publishing scenes.

All of this is just in the last few months, it would have taken me years pre-ai or more realistically I would have given up before getting anywhere.