Write, erase, add, subtract, replace, invent, change. Any creation—business, artistic, entrepreneurial, or athletic—requires time, effort, and dedication to be born and thrive. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) allows us to complete many tasks much faster, more efficiently, and perhaps even better. AI, especially its segments based on machine learning, operates on the principle of learning from data. This means that AI is constantly evolving, improving, and becoming smarter. Great! A system that continuously learns and improves is something to admire.

When I hear about the advantages of AI, it feels like listening to a teacher endlessly praise the best student in the class: efficient, productive, quick at decision-making, analyzing, comparing, and much more (although AI, with all these advantages, even lets you copy from it). The benefits, uses, and possibilities of AI are undoubtedly vast. When I think about AI, I imagine not one but a hundred new planets with deep seas and vast forests yet to be discovered and embraced. However, this text is not about possibilities and advantages but about flaws—specifically, one distinct flaw of AI.

Paradoxically or logically, this flaw doesn't directly pertain to AI but to humans. It's the indirect impact that AI has on people. The issue is laziness—a tendency humans are quite prone to and often struggle to resist. The emergence of AI, especially certain iterations, has created fertile ground for cultivating laziness. This is a culture with an inherent predisposition to spread exponentially, faster than the fastest weeds. Consequently, laziness often results in a decline or lack of knowledge (both general and specific). To demystify this topic, let me explain how I perceive the connection between AI, laziness, and the deficit of knowledge.

The fundamental principles of AI are based on continuous learning. This is no coincidence, as learning is one of the most essential conditions for any progress. On the other hand, learning and acquiring new knowledge are equally indispensable for humans to grow. Today, with the advent of AI, humans face a significant challenge that flatters their inclination toward laziness. Many tasks can now be completed with the help of AI, achieving results much faster with less time and effort. But where does that leave the human? How will individuals prioritize their cognitive development and resist using AI to the extent that it compromises their personal dignity? My question isn't whether AI should be used—that's a given, a necessity, and a privilege of our time. My question is whether humans will continue to develop themselves or whether they will rely on AI for everything. Will it suffice, for instance, to ask AI: What are the key lessons from novel X by author Y? It may be sufficient—but I guarantee it won't be fulfilling. Yet, will humanity move in that direction? Alongside this dilemma, I have another related to smarter AI usage. If a user doesn't know how to utilize AI wisely, is its maximum value lost? The solution to both dilemmas lies in the human decision to continue developing themselves, even amidst the remarkable scientific advancements of our time. This way, they can help themselves and improve their artificial intelligence.

Renowned Serbian director Miloš Miša Radivojević once emphasized that a person cannot truly develop and mature without facing boredom. At first glance, the hypothesis may seem odd, but it is accurate—at least from my perspective. Progress requires time and countless hours spent refining a model or skill. While rapid solutions are popular today, they rarely guarantee the quality of the final "product." To truly learn and understand something, one must delve deeply into the problem, analyze it from every possible angle, and comprehend how it functions. AI can assist in quickly arriving at solutions but is unlikely to enable significant personal growth. Facing boredom, which is inherently slow, becomes essential. By "slow boredom," I primarily mean hours spent reading—whether related to professional development or personal growth and knowledge. It takes days, even months, to read and understand the works of Stendhal, Dostoevsky, Camus, Hemingway, Shakespeare, Pavić, Pekić, and many others. While this example pertains to literary figures, every profession involves materials requiring thorough study and analysis to achieve mastery. Such understanding takes time and may even demand reading the same material multiple times to grasp how something works. With AI's emergence, society has shifted toward speed, greater productivity, and higher efficiency. However, whether such a system fosters genuine personal improvement or provides the best long-term solutions remains.

Effort is as crucial as time. Naturally, everyone—including me—wants to complete tasks (personal or professional) effortlessly. That is the ultimate goal: to work smarter, not harder. However, achieving this level of expertise requires effort first. Behind every milestone achieved by successful companies, artists, athletes, or "mad" scientists lies a significant investment of effort. The effort seems to vanish only after mastering a skill or process to the point of excellence.

The emergence of AI and its integration into almost every industry and sphere of life has enabled—or will enable—the elimination of repetitive tasks in human jobs. This is great news! Perhaps this will prompt people to spend more time improving those aspects that AI cannot replace. Maybe it will encourage individuals to explore and study other areas thoroughly. AI brings significant advantages, but it also presents substantial challenges. It is crucial to understand that future development and personal growth cannot be achieved through shortcuts.