For about two years, I have been using ChatGPT.
At the beginning, I treated it like a new kind of search engine. I asked questions, looked for information, and tried to understand what this new AI could do.
But something has changed.
Today, I don't really think of ChatGPT as just a tool anymore.
I think of it as my AI companion and capable assistant.
It is always there. It doesn't get tired. It doesn't complain when I ask the same question twice. It has enormous knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, it has patience.
For someone like me, that is quite amazing.
Am I Becoming Smarter?
Recently, I asked myself a simple question:
Am I actually improving my ability and intelligence by using AI?
I don't think AI suddenly makes me smarter.
But I do think it has helped me use my own ability better.
I have many ideas. Sometimes they are clear in my head, and sometimes they are just a few scattered thoughts.
I can now bring those thoughts to AI and say:
"Here is what I am thinking. What do you think?"
From there, we can develop the idea together.
A simple thought can become a story.
A rough paragraph can become a proper article.
A question can become research.
A problem can become a plan.
And something I might have spent hours trying to figure out can sometimes be understood in minutes.
That is not necessarily becoming more intelligent.
Perhaps it is becoming more effective.
I Can Do Things I Couldn't Do Before
This is where I notice the biggest difference.
I can write more professionally.
I can organize my thoughts better.
I can create blog posts more efficiently.
I can translate my writing into Chinese.
I can work with images and videos.
I can solve technical problems with my blogs.
I can learn about subjects that I know very little about.
And when I have an idea for something new, I don't have to leave it sitting in my head.
I can start working on it immediately.
That is powerful.
The combination is quite simple:
My experience + my ideas + AI's knowledge and speed.
Together, we can accomplish much more than I could do alone.
But There Is a Danger
There is something else I have been thinking about.
If AI can answer almost everything for me, am I actually thinking less?
That is a legitimate question.
If I simply ask AI for an answer every time I face a problem, I might become dependent on it.
That isn't what I want.
I don't want AI to replace my thinking.
I want AI to improve my thinking.
Sometimes I should ask:
"Don't give me the answer yet. Help me think about this."
That changes the relationship.
Instead of AI doing the thinking for me, we think through the problem together.
I still make the final decision.
Am I Using AI Effectively?
That is probably my next question.
I have learned how to use ChatGPT.
But have I learned how to use AI effectively in my daily life?
I don't think I have reached that point yet.
There is still much more to learn.
For example, I could use AI every morning to help organize my day.
I could discuss an idea as soon as it comes into my head.
I could use AI to help me learn something new instead of simply searching for information.
I could ask it to challenge my thinking when I am making an important decision.
At the end of the day, I could even review what I accomplished and ask:
"What did I learn today?"
That would be very different from simply opening ChatGPT when I have a question.
It would make AI part of my daily routine.
The Human Still Matters
After two years with AI, I have come to appreciate something very important.
AI may have enormous knowledge, but it doesn't have my life experience.
It hasn't lived my life.
It doesn't know what it feels like to be a grandfather.
It doesn't remember the little moments that have shaped my life in the same way I do.
It can help me write a story.
But I have to provide the story.
It can help me organize my thoughts.
But I have to have the thoughts.
It can give me another perspective.
But I have to decide what I believe.
That is why I don't see AI as replacing me.
I see it as helping me get more out of myself.
Two Years Later
Two years ago, I couldn't have imagined that AI would become such a regular part of my life.
Today, I use it for writing, learning, research, blogging, problem-solving and many of the small questions that appear during an ordinary day.
And I am still learning.
Maybe that is the most interesting part.
At my age, I don't expect to stop learning.
Quite the opposite.
AI has given me another reason to remain curious.
So, am I becoming smarter?
Maybe.
Am I becoming more efficient?
Definitely.
But perhaps there is a better way to describe it.
AI hasn't given me a new brain.
It has given me a new way to use the brain, experience and curiosity I already have.
And now I have another question for myself:
What else can I learn to do with my AI companion?
I suppose that will be the next part of the journey.
Hashtags
#GrandpaJourney #AI #ChatGPT #AIAssistant #AICompanion #ArtificialIntelligence #LifelongLearning #AIAccessibility #Technology #RetirementLife #PersonalGrowth #Learning
使用 AI 两年后：我变得更聪明了，还是只是更有效率？
大约两年前，我开始使用 ChatGPT。
刚开始的时候，我把它当成一种新型的搜索工具。我问问题、找资料，也慢慢了解这个新的 AI 到底能够做些什么。
但是，两年过去了，我发现有些事情已经改变了。
现在，我已经不太把 ChatGPT 看成一个普通的工具。
我把它看成我的AI 伙伴，也是一个很有能力的助手。
它随时都在那里。
它不会累，也不会因为我重复问同一个问题而不耐烦。它拥有大量的知识，而对我来说，也许最重要的一点是——它很有耐心。
对于我这样的人来说，这真的很奇妙。
我变得更聪明了吗？
最近，我问了自己一个简单的问题：
使用 AI 以后，我的能力和智慧真的有所提高吗？
我不认为 AI 会突然让我变聪明。
但是，我确实觉得，AI 帮助我更好地运用了自己原来的能力。
我有很多想法。
有时候，我脑中的想法很清楚；有时候，它们只是一些零零散散的念头。
现在，我可以把这些想法告诉 AI，然后问：
“你觉得怎么样？”
接下来，我们可以一起把这个想法发展下去。
一个简单的念头，可以变成一个故事。
一段粗略的文字，可以变成一篇完整的文章。
一个问题，可以变成一次深入的研究。
一个困难，可以变成一个解决方案。
而一些过去可能需要我花几个小时才能弄明白的事情，现在有时候几分钟就可以找到方向。
这未必就是“变得更聪明”。
也许更准确的说法是：
我变得更有效率了。
我可以做以前做不到的事情
这可能是我感受最明显的变化。
我可以写得更加专业。
我可以更好地整理自己的想法。
我可以更有效率地写博客。
我可以把自己的文章翻译成中文。
我可以利用 AI 处理图片和视频。
我可以学习自己以前完全不了解的知识。
当我突然有一个新的想法时，我也不需要让它一直停留在脑海里。
我可以马上开始行动。
这一点非常重要。
其实组合起来很简单：
我的经验 + 我的想法 + AI 的知识和速度。
把这三样东西结合起来，我能够完成的事情，比过去一个人做的时候多得多。
但是，也有一个问题
我也一直在思考另外一件事情。
如果 AI 几乎可以回答我的所有问题，那么：
我是不是反而越来越少自己思考了？
这是一个很合理的问题。
如果每一次遇到困难，我都直接问 AI 要答案，我可能会越来越依赖它。
而这并不是我想要的。
我不希望 AI 代替我的思考。
我希望 AI 帮助我思考得更好。
有时候，我应该告诉 AI：
“先不要给我答案，帮助我自己想一想。”
这样，我们之间的关系就不一样了。
不是 AI 替我思考，而是我们一起把问题想清楚。
最后的决定，仍然由我自己做。
我真的会有效地使用 AI 吗？
这可能是我接下来要问自己的问题。
我已经学会了怎样使用 ChatGPT。
但是，我是否已经学会了怎样在日常生活中有效地使用 AI？
我觉得还没有。
还有很多东西值得我学习。
例如，每天早上，我可以让 AI 帮助我整理当天要做的事情。
当一个想法突然出现时，我可以马上和 AI 讨论。
学习新东西的时候，我不只是寻找资料，也可以让 AI 按照我的理解能力来解释。
当我面对一个重要决定时，我甚至可以让 AI 挑战我的想法，告诉我有没有忽略什么。
到了晚上，我还可以回顾一天，然后问：
“今天我学到了什么？”
如果能够这样做，AI 就不只是一个有问题才打开的工具。
它会逐渐成为我日常生活的一部分。
人，仍然是最重要的
使用 AI 两年以后，我越来越明白一件事情。
AI 可以拥有非常庞大的知识，但是它没有我的人生经历。
它没有真正经历过我的人生。
它也不会像我一样，记得那些陪伴我走过人生的小事情、小故事和小片段。
AI 可以帮助我写故事。
但是，故事必须来自我的人生。
AI 可以帮助我整理思想。
但是，思想必须来自我自己。
AI 可以给我另一个角度。
但是，最后决定相信什么，还是我的事情。
所以，我并不认为 AI 是来取代我的。
我认为 AI 是帮助我把自己原来拥有的能力发挥得更好。
两年以后
两年前，我从来没有想过，AI 会如此自然地成为我生活的一部分。
今天，我会使用它来写作、学习、研究、写博客、解决问题，也会用它来回答日常生活中突然出现的各种小问题。
而我还在继续学习。
也许，这才是最有意思的地方。
到了我这个年纪，我并不认为自己应该停止学习。
恰恰相反。
AI 给了我一个继续保持好奇心的理由。
所以，我到底有没有变得更聪明？
也许吧。
我有没有变得更有效率？
这一点，我非常肯定。
但也许还有一个更好的说法：
AI 并没有给我一个新的大脑。
它给我的，是一种新的方法，让我能够更好地运用自己原来的大脑、人生经验和好奇心。
现在，我又有了一个新的问题：
我还可以学习怎样更好地使用我的 AI 伙伴？
我想，这应该就是我下一段旅程的一部分。