Can AI Really Help You Learn a New Skill I Tested It
Title: Can AI Really Help You Learn a New Skill? I Tested It.
We have all seen the claims. Learn Python in two weeks. Learn to be a master graphic designer using AI. Learn to speak French with an app. It sounds too good to be true. So I determined to put it to test. I chose a skill that I have never heard about in video editing and spent 30 days learning only with the help of AI. No YouTube tutorials. No human teachers. Smart AI assistants and AI applications.
This is what has really happened.
The skill that I selected was video editing with the help of CapCut, the free app that is primarily used by numerous Nigerian creators. I was not used to editing a video other than cropping clips on my phone. I aimed at nothing complex, just that on day 30, I would have an opportunity to create a three minutes of a promotional video with transitions, overlays on the text, background music, and color grading. I would apply AI to all the things: address the software, solve the issues, and even come up with innovative ideas.
I had ChatGPT as my personal tutor during the first week. I did not need to see lengthy tutorials, but asked specific questions. "How do I split a clip in CapCut?" How can one distinguish between a transition and an effect? How do I insert text which is behind a moving object? The AI provided me with answers in a step-by-step fashion. I explained the issue when I became stuck, and it took me through solutions. It would have taken hours of scrubbing through YouTube videos before it could be agreed upon in a few minutes of dialog. My initial 30-second clip was edited towards the end of the third day. It was horrible, yet it was there.
The actual test was when I began editing the actual promotional video. I had taped videos of a small business of a friend and I wanted to make something professional. ChatGPT proposed a structure to me: opening hook, problem statement, product showcase, testimonial, call to action. I requested ideas of transition between scenes and it suggested match cuts, zoom cuts, and text reveals. To play some background music, I explained the mood I wanted: energetic, modern, uplifting and the music proposed some royalty free music by name and the reason why it would be good.
I reached a wall halfway during week two. I also wanted a text overlay that moved on the screen character by character, but CapCut would put the effect to the whole clip rather than only the text. I presented the issue to ChatGPT. It posed explanation questions, followed by providing me with the specific order of taps: choose text layer, go to animation, tap typewriter in the list of entrance effects, change duration. It worked on the first try. In the absence of AI, I would have wasted hours of my time clicking on random options or simply frustrated.
In week three, the usage of AI in making creative decisions that I never thought of came into play. To evaluate the pacing of my rough cut, I requested ChatGPT to do it. It indicated those points where viewers may lose attention and advised on the reduction of length of some scenes. They answered color grading and clarified the distinction between warm and cool colors then recommended the use of certain presets in the CapCut that aligned with the brand colors of the business of my friend. I did not learn software only. I was studying the principles of good editing.
The last week was on the polishing. I applied AI to create cations on social media social media promoting the final video. I sought comments regarding the thumbnail design. I even instructed ChatGPT to write me a list of things to check twice before exporting: audio levels are there, no black frames, all the text is visible on mobile screens.
By day 30, I had a finished video. Was it professional-grade? No. A real video editor would identify amateur errors in a second. Nevertheless, it was logical, interesting, and my friend applied it to their Instagram account to find real clients. More importantly, I learned the editing process to an extent that I could now create the next project without having to request AI to provide me with each minor step.
But what did I find out about AI as a learning tool?
To begin with, AI is phenomenal in eliminating friction. Once stuck, I was being unstuck in minutes rather than hours. It entailed being more productive when actually editing rather than spending time to find answers. The instant feedback loop continued to drive me on when I would have pulled the plug.
Second, AI is more effective when you apply it to learn principles, rather than steps. The question "how do I add a transition" gave me a break, but the question "what is the best transition between a serious testimonial and an upbeat product shot" helped me to know something that I could use in the future.
Third, practice cannot be substituted with AI. No questioning taught my fingers to cut in a fine way in a short time. No AI has the ability to build my sense of what is good to look at. This ability was only acquired through repeated practice at the job, trial and error.
Fourth, you should fact-check what AI can say. In my experiment, ChatGPT provided me with instructions toward the features that were not available in the version of CapCut on my phone twice. It apologized and identified the right instructions when I pointed out this. AI has the ability to hallucinate. Always test what you learn.
Lastly, AI will transform you into a quicker novice, yet not into an expert. Throughout the 30 days, I was capable of doing a project. It will however take months or years of practicing before they become truly skilled. AI shortcut the sufferable initial phase, nevertheless, it did not omit the labor.
Is it something I would recommend studying using AI? Absolutely. And not until you go in with realistic expectations. Artificial intelligence will not turn you into a professional in 30 days. What it will accomplish is the removal of the barriers that prevent the start off of most people. It answers questions immediately, explains ideas clearly and gets you going when you get frustrated.
AI is a breakthrough to the Nigerian learners who have little access to formal training. The information that previously cost a significantly large sum of money or patient tutors is now accessible via a free chat interface. My experience in video editing did not cost me a single naira in lessons.
My video is not flawless. But it exists. And that is beyond what I had 30 days ago. When you have long been procrastinating on learning something but you find it overwhelming, then use AI as your instructor.
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