We are not going to argue about the value of AI. If you aren't using AI, you're falling behind. It's just the truth, and you need to start using it to help yourself out. This entire article will end up being edited by AI, not written by AI, but edited. Edited for spelling, grammar, and flow. But I will make sure it keeps my tone and voice. I want the article to be me, just with the things I normally miss cleaned up.

And this first attempt at the written word, the draft that comes from me and no one else, is the thing I fear will get taken away without much of a fight as AI adoption continues to grow. Now that we've gotten the important bit of "you should be using it" out of the way, let me fight for the first attempt. The lowly attempt we forget about after we've reached our goal. The thing we look back on with disdain for how bad we were at doing the thing. But the first attempt is critical in our growth.

A first attempt at something is supposed to be bad. The first time you tried to say a word as a baby, you sounded like an adorable idiot. That's okay. And then you struggled for weeks, months, maybe years, to finally force that first word out. As a parent, we remember the struggle of those first words. We remember the first attempts. The change in how a baby approaches the world once it realizes passing air through vibrating vocal cords can create sounds more specific to what they are thinking about.

The first attempt is painful. You don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you don't know about what you're doing. And yet, there's a pull inside of you to work through it. Sometimes it's exciting; most often, it's frustrating. But without the first attempt, you never get to mastery. So, how does this relate to AI? Because with AI, the first attempt is getting easier, and I fear that at some point, it will be so easy we forget what it's like to try and fail at something.

Maybe this won't be a big deal. Maybe it will just be a launchpad for human thought. But like a bicep that requires tearing to grow stronger, I think the brain needs these painful first attempts in order to grow stronger. The more first attempts you're willing to take on, the stronger your brain rebuilds itself. I'm not a neurologist. Please do not take what I'm saying in any way as scientific fact. These are just the thoughts of a random stranger who wants to make sure we don't inflict societal atrophy in pursuit of more productivity.

You are going to hear a lot about streaming in my articles going forward. Streaming has become something I truly enjoy doing and while streaming I've been learning to code. This is a mega combo of first attempts. One is learning to stream and get myself on camera and of course the other is to code. Below is a video from me trying to figure out a fairly simple coding challenge that I just could not get to click. The struggle was real. But I persevered and then I got it! It was an amazing feeling of elation to work through it. There is absolutely no doubt in the world that I could have used AI and just got the answer. I could have easily figured out the solution, the challenge wasn't in the solution, it was against myself. Could I do this? Could I figure it out? And I did. And I know that I learned more about factorials and coding in Python than I would have if I just used AI for the answer or looked at the solution. The first attempt, the struggle through it, is what made it a learning moment. Had I shortcutted to the answer, I would have lost out on that attempt and the lessons that come with it.

Well then, what do we do? Just do things. And when you're trying them for the first time, don't reach for the crutch, build the muscle. Use AI as a tool, not a replacement for your efforts. Leverage its strengths to improve and refine, but don't skip the crucial steps of learning and doing on your own first.

This balance is where AI can truly shine. It can complement our growth by enhancing what we already know, helping us avoid avoidable mistakes, and teaching us to recognize patterns. But it can never replicate the value of our struggle, the lessons from our mistakes, or the pride in what we've achieved through sheer effort. That pride, the one that comes from a job done well after you’ve wrestled with the process, is something AI cannot give you.

Oh no! I just realized that writing this is validating my calculus teacher's words about why I should learn things without a calculator first. You were right, Ms. Childs. I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time.

The first attempt, as messy as it is, deserves to be celebrated. It is not just the start of the process; it is where we grow, learn, and begin to shape our mastery. So, go make your first attempt. Embrace the failure, and let AI be your partner in the process, not the one doing the work for you.