Hello,
This is my first post on Lemmy! Glad to join the Fediverse.
I’d like to ask for advice from people who might have tips on how to do research and learn things without using AI.
I’m starting to get sick of it, it’s very addictive, and I must have spent over €50 developing crap on Cursor.
When I discovered AI in 2023, I was the first person at my high school to discover ChatGPT. In fact, I’d even been playing around with the OpenAI Playground before that.
But over time, I became addicted, it turned into a real drug. I didn’t even use search engines anymore, just ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and so on…
Since I discovered this in high school, can you imagine what it’s like to discover this while you’re in the middle of a specialized digital studies program? Yeah, you don’t learn anything new, you gradually fall behind. I’ve lost some of my Python skills, like how to create classes and stuff like that, even though back in 2021 I built a client for downloading pirated games that I was pretty proud of. I’m really disappointed in myself about that.
Now, I’d like to relearn computer science, learn how to code, use Linux systems, and so on... but how? Not only have I regressed a bit, but what AI has really brought out in me is a reluctance to do things and a tendency to leave everything up to the AI.
Today I’m in college, and everyone uses it in graded group projects; no one follows the university’s guidelines, which require you to disclose when you’ve used AI. There is a climate of mistrust nowadays.
I’d love to hear your tips, how do you manage without AI, and how can I relearn to live without it? I’ve made up my mind: I don’t want to use it at all anymore, except as a translator (I use DeepL, which I don’t think is the same thing as a generative AI).
Welcome, fellow lemming! And what a great post to start out with! You've recognized what LLMs (and the simplification of tech for that matter) does with your brain and that in itself is very valuable and shows that you're already on the right track.
One of the biggest problems I have is that search engines have turned to shit, probably to boost LLM usage. I have some OK experiences with Kagi as a search engine, but it comes with monthly costs. The other problem is, there are hardly any dedicated forums left anymore. You'll mostly find things on Reddit and Reddit is a garbage website. Plus, many users have erased their comments after the mass exodus. So, getting hold of correct information has become increasingly difficult.
I recently nuked my windows partition and installed Cachy OS. At the same time I started building my home server. I'm going to be honest here, without the use of LLMs I would have started to cry in many situations because Linux is not exactly easy to troubleshoot if you're new to it. However, I started seeing patterns and commands that the LLM frequently suggests. I then went ahead and started researching these things and I have become less reliant on the LLMs over time.
My suggestion for you is to reclaim tech as your own. That will help get around the use of LLMs as you progress. You'll also be sticking it to the tech shitlords. And it's fun! Build your own server, host your own services, get rid of subscriptions, fuck Windows etc. To get things up and running, find communities that are active and can help you on your journey. Communicating with real people that have the same objective as you is way more fulfilling than chatting with a bot.
Thanks! I was thinking about paying Kagi… Is it really worth it?
I'm not entirely convinced... I don't like that they use the funds for creating their own AI. It's entirely optional though, no intrusive AI reply after a search. You have to actively use the function. What I do like is the ability to search forums only and that you can blacklist certain domains. Overall the search results feel more like Google in the past. Just try it out! I believe something like 200 search queries per month are free of charge, so you don't necessarily have to pay.
I was about to buy it when I saw this https://help.kagi.com/kagi/why-kagi/kagi-vs-google.html: “We’re grateful to have access to Google’s search technology and infrastructure for Kagi.” Basically, it uses Google, so I’d rather use Startpage, which does the same thing but for free.