Hi everyone! This post is my answer to a question someone asked me in one of my previous posts, and I thought it would be a good idea to talk about it. This was @Kevin Cranfield's message. Hereโs what he asked: "Hi, what is your feeling about using ChatGPT/OpenAI to help you code? I started using it for little bits of help while building my Django projects. Then I figured out that I can get ChatGPT to write the whole project. I knew this was bad for my learning, but it helped me get the project done quicker." Iโll start by saying that I love ChatGPT! I think itโs an amazing tool, and I use it all the time. However, over-reliance on it can make you replaceable in the marketplace. If all you do is rely on ChatGPT to create, someone else can easily do the same. The real value comes from what you bring to the tableโyour ability to refine, adapt, and improve the outputs, making your work truly unique and personalized. The key is to leverage ChatGPT as a starting point while focusing on tweaking and enhancing its results to ensure your work stands out. One critical skill is learning to do things with ChatGPT that others canโt. Let me share an example from my own experience. A colleague and I were tasked with creating an automation in R. I had no idea how to do it, so I turned to ChatGPT. One thing Iโm very good at is clearly expressing my ideas in writing, so I probably crafted an effective prompt. As a result, I had no trouble generating the script I needed and tweaking it, whereas the other person couldnโt get hers to work at all. Being able to write clear, effective prompts that deliver exactly what you need is a valuable skill. But thereโs a downside to tools like ChatGPT: they can discourage us from learning deeply. Let me share another example. I heard a story about a wedding where the pianist didnโt actually know how to play the piano. She was there to press a button, and the music would play from the keyboard. But on that particular day, something went wrong, and the recorded music didnโt play. The violinist asked her to play manually, and she couldnโt do it! A similar situation happened to the same violinist on another occasion, but this time, the pianist knew how to play and immediately stepped in. The same principle applies to us: we need to understand the code weโre using and be able to recreate it if necessary. One way I approach this is by experimenting with changes to see their effects. I also try to write as much of the code myself as I can, and when I donโt understand something, I ask the AI to explain it, so I can better understand and learn.