What most people get wrong is how learning (and our brain) works:
LLMs don’t magically turn us into super computers & the biology of learning. They change access to information and feedback (just like Google and Wikipedia did) but they don’t replace retrieval practice, repetition, or memory consolidation (just like people thought calculators, Google etc would ruin all of those)
Also, our memory doesn’t work like computers...
It’s reconstructive and made pattern recognition and prediction rather than perfectly storing facts, and it’s not super great at remembering things, or rather, perfectly recalling scenarios (look into suspect and witness studies)
That’s why reminders are great, and our brain is extremely capable in generating ideas and creativity to complex situations / coming up with solution.
This is why pen and paper wins over digital devices, we work and remember better with physical feedback (generally, and no, touching phone screen don’t count)
Anyway, that’s why becoming fluent in a language or mastering any complex skill still takes time, AI or not, and deffo will not be in the realm of learn a language in a month.
So yeah, LLMs are great but unless we all get a neuralink installed we are far away from being super learners (mostly also human laziness and scrolling TikTok doesn’t help)
Anyone interested in these things I recommend cognitive neuroscience 101 as a starter, it’s all interesting!
Source: I studied this at VUB
It’s shocking to me that LLMs didn’t create an educational renaissance. Shouldn’t I be able to learn a language in a month? What did we get wrong?
