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What Scott H. Young thinks about AI and human skill

@scott-h-young · 22 positions · 2 changes of mind

Canadian writer on learning who taught himself MIT's computer-science curriculum in a year, then spent the following year travelling through Spain, Brazil, China and Korea trying not to speak English. Author of Ultralearning.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Scott H. Young did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

4 dated positions, 2025 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Scott H. Young has said — not written or endorsed by them.

4 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingAsking AI for help on a first attempt robs you of the experience that builds your own judgement about the problem.

    Their wordsAsking an AI for help with the start of an essay, for instance, will invariably shape what direction you end up following, robbing you of the crucial experience of building your own judgement around a topic and selecting your own path to research and argue.

    ↗We Need Guidelines for Learning and AIscotthyoung.com 3rd of 4 in this piece

    Interesting

  3. Our readingAI can supply the instruction and the feedback in a practice loop, but it cannot supply the middle step, which is doing the work.

    Their wordsAI has the potential to assist with both the first and last element of that loop. What it cannot replace is the middle step—doing the work for yourself.

    ↗We Need Guidelines for Learning and AIscotthyoung.com 4th of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  4. 8 months earlier

  5. Our readingSolving a problem yourself, without searching or prompting, is a form of exercise -- the help makes you weaker.

    Their wordsLearning requires an investment of effort, and AI will make us stupider if that effort is avoided.

    ↗Will AI Make Us Stupid?scotthyoung.com 5th of 6 in this piece

    Interesting

  7. Our readingIntelligence is becoming a choice rather than a byproduct of daily work: there will still be smart people, but only those who choose to be.

    Their wordsThus my personal prediction is that in domains that are already largely under the powers of modern AI, such as languages, programming or chess, we’re going to see a divergence in human abilities.

    ↗Will AI Make Us Stupid?scotthyoung.com 6th of 6 in this piece

    Interesting